Heist (2015 film)

Plot

Luke Vaughn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a man working in a Southern casino run by "The Pope" (Robert De Niro) and "Dog" (Morris Chestnut), has a sick daughter in a hospital. The money he earns is not enough to pay the medical bills. Vaughn must pay for her treatment by Friday and desperately needs $300,000, but Pope refuses his plea for a loan and instead fires him, with henchman Dog beating him up after Vaughn objects.

Vaughn is approached by Cox (Dave Bautista) and agrees to rob the money, which the casino is laundering for the mob. After a 3 million-dollar heist, the masked thieves are intercepted by Dog's henchmen. A gun battle ensues, wounding one of the thieves. They are forced to hijack a city bus, number 657, after their getaway driver escapes in terror. A police car, occupied by Officer Kris Bajos (Gina Carano), is parked a half block from the bus stop. Kris hears the gunshots coming from the bus and pursues it.

Pope is unsympathetic to Vaughn's situation, even though he is alienated from his own daughter (Kate Bosworth). He orders Dog to retrieve the money, resulting in Dog going on a murderous rampage to learn who was involved, killing multiple people. Pope's only other order is that Dog leave Vaughn's sick daughter alone.

As the thieves commandeer the bus from its driver (D.B. Sweeney), they take off the masks and Dog's henchmen identify them. As Kris chases the bus, Cox nearly shoots her. The rest of the police cars pursue and post roadblocks up ahead. To make Kris negotiate with them, Vaughn writes a passenger's phone number on a bus window. Vaughn warns her that Cox will kill some of the passengers, including a pregnant woman, if Kris doesn't order the police to clear the roadblocks. Kris rams the roadblock, allowing the bus to enter the interstate.

The next morning, the wounded thief is dying. Vaughn asks one of the passengers, a veterinarian student, to take care of him. Cox orders the bus driver to head to Galveston, Texas; unfortunately, the bus's fuel is not enough to go that far, so Vaughn calls for a fuel tanker.

Detective Marconi (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) joins forces with Kris when she is about to be relieved from duty. Marconi monitors the bus via a police helicopter. Cox makes a call to Jono, an old man who aided them in planning the robbery, informing Jono that they have the money and are on the way. While refuelling, Vaughn allows two hostages (the pregnant woman, named Pauline, and the boy) to be released. Kris discovers that Vaughn pulled the robbery because of his ill daughter. Meanwhile, Dog learns the location of Jono through a police radio scanner.

With the wounded thief suffering blood loss, Vaughn calls Marconi to come aboard the bus with a medical kit. He boards and takes a call from Pope, tossing the phone to Vaughn, revealing Marconi's affiliation with Pope. Shortly thereafter, a SWAT team attacks the bus and pops the bus tire, eventually causing it to crash near a bridge. Most of the passengers receive minor injuries.

With the police surrounding the bus, Cox holds the driver hostage in front of the cops and on live TV. The bus driver is presumably shot dead by Cox, but it is revealed that Vaughn shot his partner Cox instead, allowing the bus driver to live. Vaughn receives a call from his daughter saying that the money has arrived to pay the hospital bills. Vaughn releases all the hostages and the bus departs once the tires are repaired. The police authorities follow the bus but find out Vaughn has escaped and only the bus driver is inside.

Vaughn arrives at Jono's, but finds him already killed by Dog. Dog takes him prisoner. Pope joins them back on the bus, along with Marconi, who quickly is killed by Pope. Telling where the money is, Vaughn reveals to them that the pregnant woman Pauline is the accomplice and sister of Vaughn -- not pregnant at all -- and the money has been delivered by Pauline after she was released from the bus. Kris witnessed this and let her pay the bill. Dog is infuriated and is about to burn Vaughn alive, threatening to go after Vaughn's daughter next, when Pope shoots Dog, killing him. A grateful Vaughn is allowed to get away.

Production

On November 6, 2013, it was announced that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films acquired a heist script Bus 757 from writer Stephen Cyrus Sepher to finance and produce the film. Randall Emmett would produce the $8.9 million budgeted film along with George Furla, Alexander Tabrizi and Sepher, about a card dealer who puts a crew together to rob a bank and hijack a city bus. On May 17, Robert De Niro was set to star in the film for the lead role known as "The Pope", a casino owner whose money is the target of the heist. Scott Mann was set to direct the film, which Lionsgate would distribute. On September 24, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kate Bosworth, Dave Bautista and Gina Carano joined the cast of the film which also added Max Adams as an additional screenwriter. Morgan would play a man who puts the crew to rob the Frank "The Pope"'s casino, and Bosworth would play De Niro's daughter. On October 13, screenwriter Stephen Cyrus Sepher was also spotted on the set, who was also involved in the film to star, and was later confirmed to play Julian Dante, one of the guys who rob the casino. Morris Chestnut was spotted on the set on October 15 but his casting was confirmed by Deadline on October 17, he would play Derrick “Dog” Prince, "The Pope"'s right-hand man who has to bring the money back before the cops seize it and realize it's dirty.

Filming

Filming began on October 13, 2014, in Mobile, Alabama. The shoot was previously set to be filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On October 13, some actors were spotted on the set at Hayleys Bar in downtown Mobile where they would shoot through October 30. Reportedly, they were filming a scene at the bar that involved some characters planning a heist. On October 15, De Niro was spotted filming in the Crystal Ballroom of The Battle House Hotel, where the Crystal Ballroom was transformed into 1940s-style casino called "The Swan Casino," owned by De Niro's character "The Pope." The same day actor Morris Chestnut was also spotted on the set while filming scenes on the corner of Royal and St. Francis streets in downtown Mobile. On October 21, filming was taking place on the Causeway, which was closed by the police from the eastbound entrance of Bankhead Tunnel to east of the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.

Release

in October 2014, the film was sold to different international distributors, including Lionsgate International for the UK. The film was released on November 13, 2015 in a limited release and through video on demand.