Set and filmed in Cleveland, “Welcome to Collinwood” is a heist film about a group of knucklehead thieves drawn together by the promising payoff of one sweet job, a “Bellini.” Written and directed by Cleveland natives Anthony and Joe Russo, “Collinwood” features a remarkably intelligent script, a wonderful cast and, most important, plenty of genuine laughs.
The collection of clumsy crooks is led by Pero (played to perfection by Sam Rockwell), an amateur boxer who’s better with his fists on the street than he is in the ring. Pero learns of the Bellini, the perfect job that any idiot should be able to pull off, from Cosimo (Luis Guzman), a convict who’s trying to get out of prison so he can do the job himself. With Cosimo locked up, though, Pero now has all the information he’ll need to pull the Bellini himself and walk away a rich man.
His partners in crime include Riley (William H. Macy), a photographer with an imprisoned wife and a baby boy; Toto (Michael Jeter), a neurotic old man who’s done some work with Cosimo in the past; Leon (Isaiah Washington), whose hoping to give his engaged sister a more comfortable life; and Basil (Andrew Davoli), a guy who regularly borrows money from a group of nuns because they offer a better interest rate than the local loan shark. Of course, they also need to know how exactly to break into the safe, the target of the heist, so they turn to Jerzy (George Clooney), a wheelchaired safe cracker who charges $500 for his “expert” instruction.
While “Collinwood” is classified by the Russos as an “ensemble piece” with no real lead character, Rockwell steals the spotlight as Pero. The individual characters are all essential to the story and certainly each actor absolutely nails his or her respective role, but it’s Pero (and from a pure comedic standpoint, Toto) who delivers the film’s finest moments.
“Welcome to Collinwood” is the first feature film from Anthony and Joe Russo, which undoubtedly means we’ll be treated to some truly outstanding filmmaking from this writer/director team for years to come. With the ongoing guidance of producers Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, the Russo brothers should continue to supply moviegoers with compelling characters and brilliant writing, the same formula that will surely make “Welcome to Collinwood” a major success.
4.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, George Clooney, Isaiah Washington, Michael Jeter, Luis Guzmán, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Anthony & Joe Russo
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