James Marsters

When you watch the charming Bobby Comfort get away with breaking out of prison by successfully convincing the court that his initial sentence was illegal, you might not be blamed for thinking, ‘Like that could happen...’ But ‘Cool Money’ [Saturday, USA, 9 p.m., ET/PT], the crisply paced caper flick that stars James Marsters, is ’inspired by real events’ - so maybe it’s not that far-fetched...

Bobby Comfort [James Marsters] has spent half his thirty-nine years in prison. When he and two others break out of prison, he successfully convinced the judge that his sentence was illegal and that he’s been in jail for aver a year too long [and sues the state] - then returns to his family, and a job in a lab that produces dental appliances. A job that is big-time boring!

Before long, Bobby is approached by ‘Doc’ [Wayne Robson’, who sets him up with Sonny Nalo [John Cassini], who has a scheme to make them rich by robbing the thirty-nine major hotels in New York. At first, Bobby isn’t interested, but his lab job finally gets him so desperate that he succumbs - much to the displeasure of his wife, Stephanie [Robin Brule’].

The first dry run is such a fiasco that Bobby walks out, but, with assurances that he can run the heists his way in future, he gives it a second chance. Before you can say ‘Hotel Pierre’, Bobby, Sonny and Doc have robbed a number of hotels and Bobby has purchased a nice [big] new house for his family. Then comes news that the police and FBI are putting together a task force to deal with the rash of hotel robberies.

Again, Bobby tries to quit - but sonny has a plan for one more, huge heist - a New Year’s job at the hotel where they first screwed up, the Hotel Pierre. Stephanie reacts badly to this; throwing Bobby out. In the meantime, Bobby’s cousin, detective Phil Jason Schombing] has had suspicions about Bobby’s newly acquired affluence but can’t get anyone to believe him - in fact, as a result of his fixation, he’s demoted from detective to Traffic. And New Year’s is getting closer...

Based on a short story that was inspired by real events, ‘Cool Money’ is a smartly crafted caper flick that features deliciously drawn characters [Margot Kidder, as one example, is a hoot as Bobby’s mother], effective twists [read my lips: “Comic books!”], and as charismatic a lead, in James Marsters, as you could ask to front such an ambitious little movie.

Marsters is the main reason many will watch ‘Cool Money’ - his past as ‘Spike’ on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel’ has garnered him a faithful fan base. Because Spike was such a demanding role, they will, no doubt, be pleased to see that he’s equally effective in another demanding role - and that his charm and charisma do not vanish along with Spike’s peroxide blond hair. Indeed, Marsters is completely convincing in the role of Bobby Comfort.

But there’s more to ‘Cool Money’ than just Marsters. John Cassini is pitch perfect as sonny Nalo, a hot-headed schemer who has never been caught in twenty-nine years [or so he says]; Wayne Robson’s Doc is a perfect veteran looking for a big score so he can retire [every good heist flick needs one]; Robin Brule’ is equally fine as Stephanie Comfort - giving Bobby the tough love when she gets too frustrated, but still in love in him; Jason Schombing’s nerdy, ineffectual Phil is almost a work of art.

Then there’s the script, by Shelley Evans - every character manages to get a great moment and all the character moments feel genuine; the heists are stylish and a bit twisted; and the dialogue fits the scenario so well that one might have expected it to come from Donald Westlake. The direction, by Gary Burns [late of my hometown - Calgary, Alberta, Canada], is beautifully paced - the heists move at an appropriate speed; the character moments are just deliberate enough to achieve maximum impact; and he coaxes remarkable performances from every actor [no matter how small the role].

Be forewarned: this is not the high-tech caper tale of the recent ‘The Italian Job’, or ‘Heist’. This tale is set in the present, but looks back to the 70s for its low-tech, personality-based capers. Even though there is great intelligence in the conception of the heists and cat-and-mouse game between Bobby’s team and the police, this is not a gizmo-based flick - and is, frankly, all the more enjoyable for it. Indeed, ‘Cool Money’ is better than many big-budget heist flicks. Sometimes a piece of pure entertainment hits every mark - ‘cool Money’ is one of those rare pieces of entertainment.

Grade: A