No Ordinary Heist

No Ordinary Heist tells the true story of a bank robbery that occurred in Belfast in the year 2004. Though this a true event, certain plotlines and concepts such as the protagonists Richard Murray (Eddie Marsan) and Barry McKenna (Eanna Hardwicke), have been dramatised.

Arguably, the leading point of interest for films based on actual events is the very fact that what is seen in a cinematic world can apply to real people. For some films this can stand as the only point of interest. However, it is possible for them to be further engaging through other aspects of the storytelling, meaning the film’s value does not only lie with its origins.

This dramatisation succeeds in such through the detailed grounding of the lives and environment of our protagonists. The film spans over a matter of days, while the majority of the action takes place within a few hours. Confined in its short timeline, No Ordinary Heist still manages to offer valuable insight into the lives of Richard and Barry, providing them with meaningful motives that explain their involvement and invoke a sympathetic response. Not only are their personal lives foregrounded, but more importantly their lives at work. The differences in their character offer an interesting, odd professional dynamic that accentuates the strange nature of their circumstance and provides some of the entertainment aspect.

The cinematography honours the origins of the film by offering a naturalistic, grounded viewing experience and a muted colour palette. However, this makes what may not be an ordinary heist a very ordinary film. The imagined aspects were not particularly defining - the audience have a limited time with the protagonists before they become involved with the criminal activity. The details of their characters are lost to their fear and stress, which makes them not particularly relatable or in-depth. It also erases their character differences identifiable in the beginning, which spurred an engaging dynamic. Without this, their interactions become a vehicle in communicating the intense situation, rather than a catalyst for the storyline and the audience engagement.

Though such aspects may be down to the confines of the story it is retelling, the film leaves little room for the viewers to know, care for or sympathise with the protagonists and the sideline characters who are involved. The naturalistic cinematography grounds the story and shows the value of realism from the director, rather than an over-dramatised viewing experience that comes off as insincere. However it simultaneously ensures that the film’s point of interest lies in the fact it truly happened, rather than the cinematic elements used to tell it.

In UK Cinemas Friday 27th March 2026