Henry's Crime from 2010 was a nice surprise.
The film stars Keanu Reeves as Henry, a man who seems to go through life like a sleepwalker. When his friends ask him to fill in at a baseball game for their sick friend, Henry goes along. When ALL of them go to the ATM at the bank and ask them to wait outside, Henry goes along. And then he goes along to prison after the bank is robbed, taking the fall for his friends.
While in prison, Henry meets Max (James Caan), a confidence man who loves prison and botches his parole hearings every time. Max's philosophy is, to find a purpose, you have to have a dream. Apparently his is to stay in prison.
Once released, Henry, who at this point has no life, decides that since he was accused of robbing the bank and didn't, he's going to rob it now. He discovers that a long-ago tunnel into the bank still exists from the theater next door. It means talking Max into getting parole. And it also means getting a role in "The Cherry Orchard."
A top cast that includes Vera Farmiga and Peter Stomare, who gives a hilarious turn as the director of the Chekov play, really liven up this film. It's an intriguing if improbable plot; they make it fun.
Reeves to me isn't much of an actor, but he pulls off Henry just fine. I'm not sure what his secret is, but he always seems to look the same age. Farmiga as the actress anxious to get out of town is excellent, and Caan is terrific. Fisher Stevens is on hand as one of Henry's robbery "friends," who turns up again.
This is a little gem that apparently only played in 8 U.S. theaters.
