Band of Robbers

Billed as a modern-day take on the adventurous pairing of Mark Twain's legendary characters Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Band of Robbers is a light comedy that imagines Twain's boy heroes as adult men who are technically on opposite sides of the law. Huck (Kyle Gallner), having taken the rap for a crime committed with Tom (Adam Nee, co-writer/director along with his brother Aaron), is released from prison on parole. Tom, now a barely-competent cop who is something of a charming hustler, picks Huck up and immediately engages him in a plan to commit robberies. Things go south quickly, but they are still drawn to their childhood goal of discovering bandit John Murrell's hidden treasure (an idea inspired by Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). Band of Robbers invokes additional elements of Twain's original tales, including Becky Thatcher (a rookie cop here, played by Melissa Benoist), the lethal Injun Joe (veteran villain Stephen Lang), and even Huck's misguided “funeral.” It's all presented in good fun, although the level of inspiration is not particularly high, and there isn't much sense of playful irony. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)