I swear I was going to post this trailer before I saw my name mentioned in it.
Surely enough, I did call BAND OF ROBBERS “original” when I reviewed it back in June, and I’m glad to see that the film is well-represented by this energetic trailer that surprisingly gets the bizarrely humorous tone across without relying on gags and stupid punch-lines. It’s an update of Mark Twain’s stories about Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, where they’ve grown up in contemporary society with the memories of their adventures long-since in the rear-view…that is, until Huck gets out of jail and gets Tom’s mischievous mojo running again.
As the trailer suggests, Adam Nee’s turn as Sawyer is the comic centerpiece of the film, and the small sampling you get of his ridiculous cadence, demeanor, and dialogue is perfectly indicative of his performance as a whole. He’s the Dignan of this BOTTLE ROCKET crew, coming up with get-rich-quick schemes and juvenile reductions so fast that his compatriots don’t even have time (or the heart) to tell him how stupid and delusional he is. It's a great performance by Nee, who also co-wrote and directed the movie with his brother Aaron, and putting his work out there to sell the film is a no-brainer that I hope gets people interested in this more-than-meets-the-eye indie comedy.
What the trailer only hints at are the numerous ways in which Twain’s original stories persistently shine through, and the straightforwardly dramatic portrayal of Huck’s attempt at redemption, but these were the things that took me by surprise once I was actually in the theater watching the film. Focusing on Sawyer’s outlandish behavior, the strong visual sense, and the cast (which includes Melissa Benoist, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Stephen Lang and a terrific Kyle Gallner as Huck) is the right way to go, and I have a feeling this minute-30 look will get people intrigued in just what the hell this flick’s all about.
Gravitas Ventures is releasing this film in select theaters and VOD in January, so keep an eye out for it if you want to see something fun, surprisingly intelligent, and yes, original.
BAND OF ROBBERS will give you your money’s worth on January 15th, 2016.
