While an original concept, The Devil’s Heist had trouble stealing my heart as shaky audio and choppy cuts plagued this otherwise entertaining story. 

Freshly released from prison, pro thief Ted (Bryan Sapphire) teams up with long time partner Mike (Devin Caldarone), and Mike’s girlfriend Cathy (Jackie Falcon) to rob Coven Bank, a bank that seems too good to be true. No guards, no cameras, no bulletproof glass. Nada. Well, as the saying goes…it is too good to be true. Not only are they stealing from the bank, they’re stealing from the bank where the Devil himself (Mike Ferguson) does his banking–and yes, there is hell to pay.

The intro sequence caught my attention. Right away we are thrown into the action trying to figure out what is happening. The sequence ends with a screen pause and an internal monologue voiced to the audience by Ted. These momentary pauses with commentary occur throughout the film and were definitely my favorite part of The Devil’s Heist. They add a little flair and comedic relief from the mess that is the rest of the film. 

The audio in The Devil’s Heist was a bit all over the place. The levels and sound quality were constantly changing. In addition to the unstable sound, there was a ceaseless stream of backing tracks that just didn’t match the mood. One moment would have an upbeat buddy tune then the scene would change and we would immediately be greeted by a seductive bedroom tune. This constant flip-flopping distracted from the scenes unfolding and in many cases, I would have preferred no music at all to what was being played. 

There is very clearly a wide range of acting abilities in The Devil’s Heist ranging from pretty good to pretty tough to watch. Bryan Sapphire’s portrayal of Ted was entertaining and fun. He, along with Jackie Falcon as Cathy and Devin Caldarone as Mike, act as strong anchors for the film. Without their solid performances, I think the film would have even greater trouble finding its footing. I will note that Mike Ferguson was a perfect choice for Lucifer. He drips bad guy vibes and I did enjoy watching him embody the prince of darkness. 

The story, while fun, contained many elements that were skimmed over or ignored altogether which was disappointing. We never fully learn why the devil has a bank account, why he wants to change banks, and why he even cares about money at all. Alexa (Sandra Rosko) is the mysterious answer to the Coven’s bank-devil related problems, but we never learn why. We also never learn why the amulet is the source of Alexa’s power and why it is not in her possession for most of the movie. It’s little things like this that I think with a little fleshing out and explanation could have taken The Devil’s Heist to new heights and elevated the story. 

Overall, The Devil’s Heist is fun but felt frantic and uncontrolled. Is it a bank heist gone bad? A psychedelic experimental film? A supernatural suspense? The answer is yes. But with so many half-baked ingredients in the mix, the final result is a little underdone for my taste. That being said, if you want a new take on the typical bank heist gone wrong tale, this might be worth a try!

3 out of 10