At first, Ty is against the plan and he doesn't want any part of it. But lately, he's been having money problems and the bank is champing at the bit to get his family home, one he shares with his teen brother now that both of his parents have died. Considering his financial woes, he reluctantly agrees, but almost as soon as things get going, tragedy strikes. First, there's a witness in the abandoned factory where they had intended to stash the cash and fast-fingered Baines (Laurence Fishburne) guns him down in cold blood. As the remaining team members argue about it, Ty barricades himself into the armored truck, hoping help will arrive. When a nosy law enforcement officer named Eckehart (Milo Ventimiglia from Heroes) comes snooping around and pays the price, Ty has to figure out a way to escape with the wounded cop, or keep the rest of the team out - and these are really determined men.
While it's not the best action/thriller I have ever seen, it was a good popcorn movie. All of the actors do their jobs well and all are quite believable. Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) plays Dobbs, another member of the team who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but just wants the cash. Amaury Nolasco plays Palmer (Prison Break), the now uber-religious member of the team who does a 180 when money comes into the picture. Jean Reno (Mission Impossible) plays the quiet but deadly and determined Quinn who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, but Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne are clearly the very dangerous leaders of the group and have no problem killing whoever gets in their way, although it doesn't start out that way. Finally, Milo Ventimiglia does a really good job as the cop just trying to survive the day, although his never-moving right lip really bothered me more than it ever did in Heroes.
There's a good bit of action and some pretty tense moments in Armored and they are well done. One of the featurettes is actually on the stunts in the film and how they came to be, while another is on production design and the crew really went all out creating the perfect rusted-out factory. The other special feature, aside from the previews, is a making-of piece on how the film came about, plus bits on each of the actors and those involved in the film. While the special features are scant, they are all worth watching.
Overall, if you like a good action flick, you'll enjoy Armored. It's got a good story, believable characters and a nice dose of action and white-knuckled moments. While I can't really recommend it for purchase since it's not one I'd watch over and over, it'd make a great rental for movie night.
