Heist's with Leverage

A plan that goes wrong at every turn. A witty charismatic leader. A smug overconfident wealthy antagonist with money they got through morally dubious means. A clever last-minute twist with a side of retribution. A con: to persuade someone to do or believe something, usually for your benefit.

Heist movies have some of the most satisfying plots of any genre.

Without giving away the plot, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) perfectly encompasses the joy of competence as the characters take down a malicious casino owner, robbing him of millions in one giant score. The characters use their wits (and a fair bit of cash) to con the villain out of his cash, leading to his downfall at the end of the movie. It was so well-liked it made 450.7 Million dollars and became an instant cinema classic. While the sequels weren’t as popular -especially Ocean’s twelve for reason’s explained later- everyone enjoyed watching these well-loved characters humiliate antagonists who personified our own wrongs. And a show I was recently introduced to is the perfect fit for such movies.

Leverage. That’s the name. Leverage is a show about a group of thieves and con artists traveling the city to take down corporations who have crushed the common man. Every episode is a showcase of competence, something very few other shows rely upon. Most soap operas rely on miscommunication, and nothing is more satisfying and liberating than watching characters work -and work well- together. The five main characters interact, change, improve, and rely on each other in a way that makes their devastating attacks believable. And when things go wrong the stakes are so much higher, because the heroes are already at their best. It means the Villain is equal or better than the heroes.

I know I hate it when a slight miscommunication blows up between characters, especially to create problems that don’t ever turn into anything more than drama. I despise romance plots that never go anywhere, even when both characters admit their feelings. I abhor action scenes interspersed with heart to hearts that weren’t even necessary to add tension. Leverage never treats its audience like it’s stupid. If drama is created, it's natural, and in character.

The main characters all work so flawlessly, even in sub-groups of one another, and it’s thrilling to see each pair, trio, or quartet change dynamics with a missing character. In one of my favorite episodes two of the characters are trapped without communication, and the other three have to try and get them out without revealing the con already underway. The episode ends by convincing the police the man they were in the process of stealing from had tried to rob a bank, stole money, and was working with a local gang to sell drugs. Every episode ends with the offender getting their just deserts.

Leverage is by far one of my favorite TV shows. It has everything encompassed both in episodes and in seasons and even ends satisfactorily when the show finally does come to a close.

On the opposite hand, when characters you know work well together start performing badly it’s frustrating. Ocean’s 12 is commonly thought of as the worst of the Ocean’s movies, even including Ocean’s 8. This is mostly because the crew that worked so well in the first movie turned into a bunch of idiots in the second. It was as though their intelligence had been erased. Instead of plotting and scheming they were reacting and panicked. The whole movie was disappointing, even the reveal which turned out to be someone else’s plan. Not only that but the ‘reward’ from completing their heist was . . . nothing. Not a single thing had changed except the funds from the first movie were taken back. Rarely do movies disappoint as badly as that one.

Luckily, Leverage doesn’t ever do this. The series ends with another brilliant scheme. Their rewards, though sometimes altered, are never nullified. Their consequences are corresponding to their enemies, and they never make you feel like you wasted your time watching them.

Enough praise from me. If you love Heist movies or clever movies of any kind, I would highly recommend the TV show: Leverage.