“Above the Line” - the list of individuals who guide and influence the creative direction of a film. These roles include but are not limited to the screenwriter, producer, director, and actors.  

Most of these people are full of shit.

Fittingly relatable setup for a caper-thriller that spirals out of control.  

Jack Woodrow (the wickedly diabolical Gregg Henry) is a highly recognizable, acclaimed, award-winning producer living his best life in the Hollywood Hills among the rich and famous.

He is also a very, very bad man.  

While countless struggling artists chase even a taste of that high, six young aspiring creatives receive a mysterious “golden ticket” invitation promising to change their lives forever. The unknown guests are told to arrive on time at a secluded location—a beautiful, abandoned mansion—without cell phones and without sharing personal details. In a nod to Reservoir Dogs, where the criminals are assigned aliases, these anonymous invitees are given new names as well.

The group is soon led by clues scattered throughout the house, directing them to steal all five Oscar awards from hotshot producer Jack Woodrow. Once they are collected and returned to this meeting point, each participant will receive a million dollars. “Saddle up for a wild night” indeed. Easy money!

We soon discover how each person’s past is tied to this treacherous industry powerhouse and the abuse they endured while trying to break in.  

Four years earlier, ambitious writer “Princess” (exceptionally portrayed by Sophia Ali) pitched Jack a script, hoping he would help bring it to production. After a promising conversation, they blew off steam by violently smashing a nightstand and parted with a mutual understanding. Later, Jack stole her screenplay, claimed it as his own, and won an Academy Award for it. Appalling, yes. Surprising? Hell no.  

Twelve years ago, producer “Ghost” (played with confidence by Reno Wilson) tried to get Woodrow’s attention by crawling through the doggie door at his estate. After getting stuck, he pitched his ultimate creature-feature horror idea: Giant Flying Jellyfish. With Jack holding a gun to his head, Ghost received only a sinister nod of consideration. As expected, Jack stole the idea outright, leaving Ghost with nothing.  

The flashbacks continue: Jamie Lee’s tough “Dame” endures a traumatic, belittling encounter with the misogynistic narcissist; John Way’s reluctant “Hero” melts down during an audition before the arrogant mogul; and brothers “Cowboy” and “Spaceman” (Dylan Playfair and Jackson Pace, bringing idealistic naivete) try to sell their movie to the seemingly inspirational media titan, only to discover they were pawns in his scheme to bury the film and spite a business rival.  

This heist was designed as the ultimate “fuck you” to Jack, the industry, and Hollywood itself.  

Naturally, a hastily planned robbery is bound to crash into several brick walls—and crash hard. From the creepy masks to the getaway van, the gang keeps running into obstacles, even getting themselves arrested and, in one case, shot.  

Although the film is largely a crime-thriller comedy with several gripping dramatic moments, the cringe-worthy scene of Cedric the Entertainer removing a bullet from one of the robbers, paired with the deliberate murder of a key player, is both wildly unhinged and noteworthy.  

Maybe Hero had the right idea at the start of this vengeful riff on Swimming with Sharks: Just run. Run fast. And don’t look back.

When something seems too good to be true, it usually turns into a complete shitshow. God knows I love a great shitshow.