High Rollers

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Instead of naming John Travolta’s new heist sequel “Cash Out 2”, the filmmakers decided to use an independent title for this movie – “High Rollers“. The first film, which was moderately enjoyable, was released to the public less than a year ago. Interestingly, production on High Rollers had already been finished when Cash Out started being promoted, as Lukas Haas confirmed in our 2024 interview.

In a new crime tale, Hass portrays Travolta’s sibling, where they embark on an action-packed adventure that starts with a contemporary bank heist and culminates in a stylish casino robbery. This lighthearted movie seems to deliver a clear message to the audience by the end, as stated by Swen Temmel during our recent interview – steer clear of casino heists given the sophisticated security measures in place. Have you noticed the security details?

Returning Players, With a Twist

In the previous installment, we found master thief Mason Goddard (played by Travolta), his brother Shawn (Haas), and their associate Anton (Quavo) – a rapper – having just barely escaped from a perilous bank heist where a failed blockchain wallet was involved. In the new film, High Rollers, Mason continues to hold a deep affection for Amelia Decker, an ex-law enforcement agent, despite learning that she wasn’t as criminal as the rest of their group in the initial Cash Out movie. This time around, Kristin Davis, known from Sex & the City, is not portraying Amelia. Instead, the talented actress Gina Gershon (Face/Off) takes on the role in High Rollers. So, let’s move forward and acknowledge the change in casting, shall we?

A noteworthy returning character is Georgios (Temmel), previously seen as a bank teller, who found himself embroiled in the antics of Mason and Shawn in the movie “Cash Out”. To be precise, they believed they could actually extract a digital wallet from a bank vault, which Georgios silently found amusing. Throughout the initial film, he was the one subtly rolling his eyes at their foolishness.

To save Amelia from her plight, he and his companions need to unite once more for a risky mission – this one taking place within a lavish casino resort, where they’ll be tasked with securing some enigmatic, expensive item. By the end of the film, you might find it hard to argue that ‘High Rollers‘ doesn’t remind you of a less original version of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ or ‘Thirteen’, considering its cool jazz vibe and stylish cinematography.

All In for Another Go-Around?

Upon landing at the casino under investigation (located authentically in Mississippi), Mason and their group successfully charm their way into the fortified location using forged identities, a task facilitated by Link. They encounter the villainous owner Zade (played by Demián Castro) and his sophisticated manager Bella (Kelly Greyson). However, as the story progresses, most of the antagonists become less memorable by the third act, despite unexpected plot twists. Even a significant development within Mason’s team late in the storyline doesn’t leave a lasting impression, and you’ll find yourself mostly focusing on John Travolta’s performance throughout.

It’s quite entertaining to witness the Oscar-nominated actor continuing to shine on the silver screen at this point in time, despite his peculiar real-life behavior occasionally. However, something feels slightly unnatural about John Travolta’s immaculate image in these “Cash Out” films: His well-groomed beard and lean physique give off an almost artificial vibe, unfortunately. It might have been more appealing, though a bit riskier, to create the sequel of “Cash Out” with Travolta sporting a 100-pound weight gain, a scruffy beard, and a disheveled demeanor (perhaps for “Cash Out 3”?). As it is now, his character appears excessively perfect and spotless.

Currently, this type of heist film, which is quite common in the movie industry, follows the conventional pattern, offering just enough witty dialogue, gunfights, catchy tunes, and plenty of eye-catching cast members. In essence, High Rollers may serve as a suitable soundtrack to your dinner and pre-weekend entertainment. Admittedly, it’s not a bad alternative compared to watching the news these days. High Rollers, distributed by Saban Films, is set for release in theaters, on demand, and digitally on Friday, March 14, 2025.

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2025-03-10 22:03