Thrilling police chases, explosive shootouts, compelling characters, and riveting storylines are all elements that culminate into one of the most exhilarating and high octane sub-genres and movies out there, the bank heist movie. There are few genres that give audiences that ‘rush’ more than the heist genre. From legendary movies like Heat, the Ocean’s quadrilogy, Den of Thieves, and more recently Michael Bay’s Ambulance, this phenomenal subgenre is certainly a packed one, and holds some of the best movies and experiences in cinematic history.

Adding to the large roster of bank heist movies, is veteran action director William Kaufman’s latest feature, The Channel. The Channel boasts everything that we love about the bank heist movie subgenre. Filled with visceral gun fights and shootouts and thrilling police chases, The Channel is a ton of fun. However, although marketed as a bank heist movie, isn’t really about the heist. The Channel instead focuses on the brotherly relationship between the two main characters, and their survival against the police and any criminal gang that may now be after them.

As a result, The Channel is not only great fun, but a deeply engaging character driven story that will have audiences on the edge of their seat. The Channel is then bolstered by powerful performances throughout, resulting in an action-packed, bank heist movie thriller, and is not to miss.

The Channel follows Jamie (Clayne Crawford) a desperate criminal and Mic (Max Martini) an out-of-control ex-marine as they attempt to evade the authorities after a bank heist goes awry. Through their journey of survival, the brothers are forced to reconnect in a compelling, heartfelt, and action-packed character driven story.

A Tale of Two Brothers

As previously mentioned, The Channel is a bank heist movie second. What makes The Channel stand out from others in the genre is that it’s a tale of survival, post-heist. Typically, we see a long buildup to the heist. Getting the team together and extensively planning the heist out, culminating in a final act where audiences believe the heist went horribly wrong, when in actual fact that was their plan all along, in usually a shocking plot twist.

The Channel, however, throws audiences deep into the heist, as we meet our main characters moments before they rob the bank. After the heist and an awesome shootout, the crew, most notably Jamie and Mic, have to risk it all in order to escape New Orleans.

The Channel delivers on the action in spades, but what will keep audiences hooked is the endearingly broken relationship between the two brothers. Mic is fully out-of-control. He thrives on violence, and if it’s not there in the moment, he will do anything to make whatever situation he is in as violent as possible. Jamie, Mic’s younger brother, is just doing anything he can to help his family and newborn baby. He doesn’t want to resolve everything in violence, but he seems to always be cleaning up Mic’s mess. This leads to many encapsulating arguments and moments of dialogue between the two, which sees both Max Martini and Clayne Crawford delivering stellar performances.

As fantastic and immersive as the action is, it’s the characters, the performances, and the brotherly relationship between the two leads that will keep audiences hooked for the entire ride.

Kaufman’s Sensational Action Direction

For its brisk 90 minutes, The Channel isn’t short of action sequences. The film immediately throws audiences into an awesome, Hardcore Henry-esque opening which really sets the scene for the rest of the movie, in terms of its action. From there, the film is full of awesome gun fights, each feeling very distinct from one another.

Each shootout is very inspired by Michael Mann’s Heat, much like the rest of the movie. The lack of music and emphasis on the sounds of gunfire adds an authenticity to the shootouts, raising the tension and stakes. Whilst the initial heist shootout is enthralling enough, with the heist crew being pinned down by police and endlessly firing bullets towards the authorities, perhaps the most intense and powerful scene is when Mic stands off against the police force, all on his own, in order to save his brother.

Related: 30 Best Action Movies of All Time, Ranked

A Tension-Filled Journey of Survival
Brainstorm Media

Another aspect of The Channel that will help audiences fall head over heels for it is the movie’s tension. Of course audiences will feel a palpable amount of tension during the action; however, it’s moments like our main characters waiting at traffic lights for the light to change, all while an unbeknownst police officer faces them down, that will send audiences’ heart rates through the roof.

Likewise, during one of the films most pivotal moments, our main crew are forced to go through some horrific torture involving acid. We don’t see the results, but hearing the screams of a character who has acid poured all over their face is still horrifying and will undoubtedly make you squirm. Kaufman truly does a fantastic job at making many moments of The Channel ooze with tension.

Related: 12 Best Bank Heist Films Where the Thieves Escape With the Loot

“Someone’s Been Playing Grand Theft Auto”
Brainstorm Media

Let’s be honest, not many of us are pining for a live-action adaptation of the successful video game series, Grand Theft Auto. With an expansive open world, rich details, and a large roster of characters, there are way too many avenues to explore for fans of the video game to ever want or expect a Grand Theft Auto live-action movie. That said, The Channel is perhaps the best and most Grand Theft Auto movie we have ever seen.

The endless police chases, characters switching from vehicle to vehicle and stealing them from pedestrians, the heist, the compelling characters, and scenes of torture (which was incredibly brutal) make for a phenomenal movie that fans of the hit video game should adore, or at least it will make you want to jump back into the video game and wreak some havoc.

The Channel releases in select theaters and on demand July 14th.