Life of Crime

Adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel The Switch, this tepid caper comedy references younger versions of Leonard characters featured in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Set in Detroit during the late 1970s, the plot pivots on the kidnapping of Mickey Dawson (Jennifer Aniston), trophy wife of corrupt real estate developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins), by two fumbling low-level grifters: cold-blooded Ordell Robbie (Yasiin Bey, the former Mos Def) and sweet-natured Louis Gara (John Hawkes), who intend to extort Frank using inside information about his crooked business practices and off-shore bank accounts. The stinger in their get-rich-quick scheme is that Frank has taken off for a love nest in the Bahamas with his calculating, much-younger mistress, Melanie Ralston (Isla Fisher). Having just secretly filed for divorce, Frank would rather not pay the $1 million ransom to get his wife back—figuring that, should Mickey die, it will save him a great deal of alimony money. This set-up triggers an unbelievable sequence of double crosses and plot twists involving two of Mickey's admirers: Marshall Taylor (Will Forte), a milquetoast country-club friend, and Richard (Mark Boone Junior), the crooks' dumb, Nazi-obsessed accomplice. Writer-director Daniel Schechter wavers between dark comedy and lighthearted farce, a tonal inconsistency that is also reflected in the various performances. A slackly paced, modestly amusing noir, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Daniel Schechter and costar Will Forte, deleted scenes (11 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), the production segments “Envisioning the Big Picture: Shooting Crime” (9 min.) and “Hit & Run: Choreographing Mayhem” (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing adaptation of a fine Elmore Leonard novel.] (S. Granger)