Fantastic!

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This is one of my favourite films. Yet it started unpromisingly, as I am not particularly interested in car chases. Or, for that matter, films bank robberies. (Rose, you ask, did not the title alert you to the fact that this was a film about a bank robbery?) James Spader (my reason for watching the film) is excellent in it. Part of the reason was continually having to revise my views as to whether his character (Parker) was basically a "good guy" or much more sinister. Spader, who has worked with writer-director Herrington before ("Jack's Back") and since ("I Witness") knows better than to give the audience any clues ahead of time. When he grabbed ambushed Natalie (Leslie Stefanson) and grabbed her by the throat, my attention was riveted.Plus, when his character was shot, he actually looked like he was both in a lot of pain and going into shock. That seems surprisingly unusual.There were some subtle details to satisfy those of us who want to watch the film over and over again. For example, Parker seems to have a Catholic background (despite being separated from his wife); Natalie has a cross on her wall.I liked the part near the end with the injured bad guys limping away. Having lots of dead bodies is a little dull and, well, it is over-kill.Natalie is feisty, which is always a good quality in a screen heroine. The whole cast is good.There are a few flaws with the story: a couple of parts are confusingly edited and I still cannot work out the bit about the cars. I would also have liked to have seen the priest rewarded for his good deed.But these are minor quibbles. This is a very good film, curently very underrated. If you like it, spread the word, maybe we can change that!

James Spader is always likable no matter how sleazy or dishonest he is. There is no doubt that he carries this film completely by himself, because all other performances are quickly forgotten. In fact, Spader is downright excellent as L.A. detective John Parker who gets involved in both a bank robbery and a girl in the same day.Like the rest of the actors, the movie is quickly forgotten as well—a low-key cops n' robbers story with a few twists and one or two laughs at best. It is mostly slow and serious and while this pace is deliberate to build up tension in the plot, there are no satisfying action sequences or culminations of any kind to follow it as it unfolds. The rapport between Parker and the lead girl was simply not good as it tried too hard to be 'edgy' with lots of quick bantering and, in the end, was unable to convey any real emotion or even on-screen chemistry. This doesn't make The Stickup a bad movie, but it makes it pretty mediocre. 5/10

Rowdy Herrington's 2001 film The Stickup fools you, or tries to, and is fun to watch as the story unfolds. It begins with the cops chasing a bank robbery getaway car. As we used to say, it starts in the middle and goes both ways. There are flashbacks, and the story is told first from one person's point of view and then another's. There is a surprise around every corner, and each time we get more information we see the bank robbery with new eyes, as it were.The Stickup is a comic adventure/romance/mystery complete with cops, robbers, more cops, a newly-fledged FBI Special Agent, a pretty woman(Leslie Stefanson as Natalie Wright), Our Hero(Spader as John Parker), and two enigmatic Indians. If you happen to see it in the video store, I highly recommend it—it's loads of fun, and despite a couple of plot holes (suspend your disbelief at the door) is ultimately satisfying. The positive vibes from this movie far outweigh the negative. The high speed car chases appeal to the men, and the boy-meets-girl story is for the girls, and the inscrutable Indians are for everyone.The Stickup's low budget does not interfere with its fast-paced story and Spader's wonderful acting—is he a good guy or a bad guy? The mood-setting soundtrack begins as bang-bang stick'em up robbery music over the menu and segues into brassy, 1940s film noir blues as background to the sporadic encounters of Our Hero and the pretty woman ), each more tantalizing. "Damn Right I've got the Blues" plays over their first encounter in the bar, and again over the credits. Original music credited to David Kitay sets the mood throughout.John Livingston, as FBI Special Agent Rick Kendall on his first case as Agent-in-charge, is hilarious in his delight with his first bank robbery and real dye packs. "Wicked!" he says, and "Cool!" He takes such joy in his work, and as the case draws to a close, he is seen talking on his cell phone to his mom.

I loved this movie! It doesn't go where you think it's going and it gets there fast! James Spader is one of the best actors working in films today. It was great to see him with such strong material. Leslie Stephanson and Spader had this very hot chemistry and I loved the banter between them. The Rashamon element in the plot provided an excellent opportunity for a unique film noir twist. I saw this movie at a preview with a large audience at a L.A. Museum of Modern Art/Independent Film Project screening and the place went wild. I watched it again on Showtime and enjoyed it just as much. It's great to see "under the radar pictures" like this. My hats off to everyone involved in the picture. Fine work all around. John Livingston practically steals the movie, I'll be watching for more from him. Loved the score too. If you have a chance see this movie!