Armored, released in theaters on December 4, 2009, is a high-stakes, claustrophobic crime thriller that pits a group of experienced armored truck guards against their own moral compass and each other. The film capitalizes on a tense, contained scenario, focusing less on elaborate action sequences and more on the psychological pressure that mounts when ordinary people are tempted by an extraordinary amount of cash.
The story centers on Ty Hackett (Columbus Short), an Iraq War veteran and recently hired armored truck guard struggling financially to support his younger brother. Ty is persuaded by his godfather and mentor, Mike Cochrane (Matt Dillon), to join a plan for an inside job.
The scheme involves Ty and a crew of veteran guards – including Baines (Laurence Fishburne), Palmer (Amaury Nolasco), Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich), and Jeffers (Jean Reno) – to “steal” $42 million in transit, stash it for a few days, and then claim the truck was hijacked.
The plan is to execute the robbery with no violence and then return to their respectable lives, splitting the untraceable cash.
However, the plan immediately goes sideways. During the intended staged robbery in an abandoned steel mill, a well-meaning security guard (Fred Ward) witnesses the event and is accidentally killed by Baines.
This act of violence shatters the non-lethal nature of the plan.
Ty, unwilling to become a murderer, locks himself inside the armored truck with the $42 million, effectively turning his former allies into his desperate, dangerous enemies.
A tense, cat-and-mouse siege ensues within the dilapidated mill. Ty is forced to use his tactical training to outsmart the heavily armed men he once trusted, who are now consumed by greed and panic.
The film becomes a psychological thriller as Ty must decide whether to save his own life or protect the money and his moral integrity.
Laurence Fishburne in Armored (Photo/Sony Pictures)
Reception for Armored
Armored grossed $6.5 million on its opening weekend, finishing seventh at the box office.
The film would gross $22.9 million worldwide.
Legacy
Armored is a solid, if not groundbreaking, entry into the heist-gone-wrong genre. Its main strength lies in its strong, experienced ensemble cast.
The film benefits greatly from the commanding presence of Dillon as the calculating leader and Fishburne as the unpredictable Baines, both of whom lend gravitas to the increasingly desperate situation.
It provides a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of easy money and features enough genuine tension and moral conflict to satisfy fans of the genre.
