Money Plane: Yes I Watched This...With Friends!

Most bad movies try to hide it with a punchy title. I'll explain. Say you make a middling Liam Neeson thriller. Your trailer can highlight an interesting setup like an assassin with a wiped memory, or a good guy caught in a conspiracy on a train, or a good guy caught in a conspiracy on a plane...damn I wish I had a third rhyme. Take that concept, show it a flashy line or two and give us the title like Unknown or Non-Stop. Simple, direct, and leaves a little to the imagination. You can give it the benefit of the doubt. Call your movie Money Plane? I'm gonna expect garbage...and I got me some garbage.

The film stars Adam Copeland (also known as to the WWE crowd as "The Edge") as Jack Reese, a thief who's last job went sideways. Now indebted to his employer, Reese and his team are tasked with ripping off a high stakes gambling vessel known as the Money Plane without anyone, especially the dangerous criminals who run the game, knowing.

This movie is a masterclass on how to make a bad low-budget action movie. Which isn't a huge surprise since that title somehow made it all the way from production to release. But I'd also like to point out ways that a B-movie like this could be better.

Step #1: Get A Bunch of Competent Hams

In a B-movie you want everyone on the same page. Either we're all playing things straight, going for broke, or somewhere in between. You want a cohesive tone for your movie. Snakes on Plane isn't gold standard cinema but everyone knows what kind of movie they're in. We're here to ham it up.

What's amazing in this movie is how bad the B-movie acting is. Kelsey Grammer and Katrina Norman are the closest. They get some of the meatier monologues, chew as much scenery as possible, and delivery their ridiculous dialogue with sincerity. But a lot of the other actors are somehow too campy and not campy enough as gangster stereotypes, or in Adam Copeland's case, barely seem to care about anything despite the life of death stakes with his family. It means the back and forths feel very uneven.

Step #2: Some Semblance of Logic Please

At one point in this movie, one of Adam Copeland's gang on the ground is under duress. He's been rounded up by a gaggle of armed thugs and needs help. And that help comes in...the form of drone literally carrying a pistol.

So.....I know drones are a cool tech thing to include in your movies nowadays, especially since they're so readily accessible, but even I, a complete novice with this, knows how stupid this is. Have a drone save fine, but...maybe make the weapon a part of the drone? All this setup does is offer a ton of questions (i.e. how is that drone pulling the trigger and how is it not spinning out from recoil after every shot). There's a fine line between movie logic and general logic and Money Plane is well past it.

I'm not even going to get into how they access the money electronically.

Step #3: Adapt Your Concept

I have no idea why this movie involves a plane at all. The sets they were able to afford were clearly tiny, so why did they insist on it being a heist movie in the air. Not adapting can affect your movie in weird/funny ways. The small set means every fight scene has limited space and it's almost impossible to zoom out. Which in turn highlights every janky hair piece or odd wardrobe decision. You want to hide the jank and moving the location of your film is an easy way to do that.

Step #4: Who Is The Hero of This Movie?

I can't believe I have to say this but it's screenwriting 101 that your lead character should be involved in more than one fight in your action movie. And if he is involved in one fight it shouldn't be in the middle of the movie. But that's exactly what they do with Adam Copeland, a guy who should be good at staged fights.

Now I won't entirely complain because we get more scenes with Katrina Norman dicing people up with shoes (this is why I watch these kinds of movies), but if she's the bad-ass...why isn't the movie about her? A lot of missed opportunities here.

Verdict: Amusing Trash

As bad as Money Plane is, it definitely checks the "So Bad, It's Good" box for me. 2/10 by regular standards 8/10 for inebriated amusement.