First-time director, and long-time Assistant Director, Nicolas Harvard makes his feature debut with a crime/thriller that’s a very generic look at corrupt policing and an even duller thriller.

Boasting a cast that you would mainly see in straight-to-streaming affairs, with a budget to match. While there’s nothing wrong with B and C-list actors leading your film, there is little to no substance surrounding them. With five credited writers to write a story that’s as run-of-the-mill as they come, it’s a wonder there is any coherence to the plot.

Playing out in what feels episodic in nature, a locksmith (Ryan Phillippe) who used his skills for more criminal enterprises is recently released from prison and trying to stay straight for the sake of his daughter. It’s not as easy as he hoped when he is pressured back into the criminal lifestyle. His ex (Kate Bosworth) is a police officer who just so happens to work with the crooked cop who had a hand in sending him to prison. There is nothing wrong with simplistic themes or story arcs, some of the most successful films of all time are simplistic, like Titanic. This film fails on all fronts, it could be the crowded writer’s room or the first-time director, but there is nothing here that sets this apart from any other option at your local Redbox.

The paint-by-numbers mentality is very uninspired, even welcome actors that usually bring something to the table like Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames are not enough to raise this above room temperature. What little suspense there is, is hampered by pretty low stakes and villains straight out of a police procedural. With a predictable and less-than-rousing ending, this is a film to avoid.

.5 out of 5