The Code (aka Thick As Thieves) proves that star power alone cannot overcome fundamental storytelling failures. Despite Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, and Radha Mitchell headlining, this is an avoidable heist thriller. 5.5/10.
Freeman sleepwalks through his “veteran thief on one last job” role with zero conviction. Banderas seems miscast entirely, his Spanish persona jarring against the New York setting. Only Mitchell demonstrates genuine effort, though her underwritten love-interest role offers nothing to work with. The complete lack of chemistry between leads is fatal for a film requiring audience investment in relationships.
Ted Humphrey’s script recycles every heist movie cliché without adding fresh perspective. The “impossible” heist feels routine, the twists arrive exactly when expected, and character motivations shift purely for plot convenience.
Director Mimi Leder (capable of far better work on ER) delivers lifeless, TV-movie direction that wastes the $25 million budget. Most damning: nothing feels new or exciting. Every beat, every character arc, every “surprise” has been executed better in countless predecessors.
The film neither invests you in its characters nor thrills you with its execution. It’s a paint-by-numbers heist film that never justifies its existence beyond providing employment for its cast.
A thoroughly avoidable waste of talent.
