Heist

Since most of the exceptional hostage drama Heist takes place inside a cramped bus, your enjoyment depends on how much you relish the company of B-list actors who are very good at flaring their nostrils and immodestly threatening one another. Even American Gladiator/Haywire star Gina Carano gets plenty of time to puff out her chest when she, as Officer Kris, negotiates with good-guy thief Vaughn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) after he steals mob money from world-weary casino owner Pope (Robert De Niro) and takes a busload of bystanders hostage to make his getaway.

Carano and Morgan have the toughest roles, since Kris and Vaughn have to grit their teeth and wince self-seriously whenever tempers inevitably boil over. But they hold their own admirably against scene-stealers De Niro and pro wrestler/Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista, who plays Vaughn's hot-headed partner, Cox.

Morgan's lead performance is especially surprising: As Vaughn, a military-trained criminal with a heart of gold -- he robs Pope to pay for his daughter's surgery! -- the actor's barely suppressed hangdog sighs get more mileage here than all of his one-note post-Watchmen performances combined.

Director Scott Mann also puts De Niro to good use, wrapping Vaughn's story up with a rapturous, narratively superfluous shot of De Niro tilting his head back and enjoying a cigarette. You've seen neo-noirs like this before, but you probably haven't had this much fun with a modern B movie in a while.