*Showtime’s “Heist 88” debuted today, and EUR caught up with director Menhaj Huda, who shared what he’s most excited about viewers experiencing when they watch this new thriller starring Courtney B. Vance.
As we previously reported, Huda directed the film from a script by Dwayne Johnson-Cochran, who told EUR in an exclusive interview, “Courtney’s really amazing in the film. And all the characters, all the young people in the film and Keith David and everybody, they just are wonderful.”
Keesha Sharp, Bentley Green, Keith David, Xavier Clyde, Nican Robinson, and Precious Way also star in the film that centers on “Jeremy Horne (Vance), a criminal mastermind with an innate ability to convince anyone to do just about anything. After deciding to pull one last job before going to prison, Horne recruits four young bank employees to steal close to $80 million dollars in a daring and brazen assault on the nation’s banking system,” per Deadline.
Huda explained to EUR’s Ny MaGee that this true story, which took place in Chicago in 1988, is “something that Dwayne was tracking because the person who it’s actually based on, we don’t use the real names of the people, he was somebody that Dwayne connected with and got the story out of him without spoiling it.”
Huda continued, “The guy did go to prison. He came out of prison, I think, five or six years ago, maybe longer than that. That’s when Dwayne connected with him and found out the true story of what really went on and then decided that it would make a great TV show, initially. They started developing it as a TV show, and then, in the end, they felt that it was going to work much better as a movie. That’s how I came to be involved in it.”
“I just loved the story because it took place at a time when that crime could not take place today. I think the modern-day equivalent would be, maybe, identity theft and scamming people online,” Huda continued. “To be able to do it within a bank at that level where we’re talking about millions of dollars was very unusual. It’s very, very brazen to be able to steal that much money from a bank or from their clients, but it happened and they did it,” he explained.
“The way that it happened without any guns being fired is a fascinating story. All of that really, really inspired me as soon as I got hold of the script, and Dwayne did a terrific job of really bringing these characters to life and creating a world that just really draws you into these young people’s lives. You want them to succeed and also, you feel very sympathetic to their cause for them to actually take on this criminal activity. It doesn’t necessarily feel like they’re doing anything wrong, given the circumstances in their lives at that time,” Huda said.
Crime drama often explores moral and ethical dilemmas. How does Heist 88 tackle these themes?
Menhaj Huda: Well, I think when crimes like this get reported or were reported, they’re seen in a very one-dimensional manner. I think what the film does is really peel back the skin of how the process worked. It wasn’t a straightforward situation where you have people who have criminal intent just deciding that they’re going to steal this money. The fact is, we see the characters really poignantly in terms of what their lives are like and what they’re doing. They’re working at the First National Bank of Chicago, which is making millions and millions of dollars. They’re working for minimum wage down in the basement of this huge building, which is dark and dingy and almost like a sweatshop.
I think the race element is very clear in the story in terms of… It’s like one rule for the people that work upstairs and another rule for the people that work below ground. It’s not something that we shy away from. You would never find that in a news report. I think that’s what the story is very good at doing, just sort of framing it in a way that you really understand why people do these things, why these people decided to do what they did. There is a twist in our story, which I’m not going to say what happened.
I think that’s what, again, for me, elevated the script to another level because a crime, especially committed by any black people, is reported in a certain way in this country, and you’ve had it since day one, really. It still continues to this day, but when you make a film like this, which is based on a true story, you get the opportunity to slightly reframe how that works and why these people were left without any other option but to do what they did. I’m very comfortable with that, and I find that that’s a way of exposing a truth that other mediums maybe don’t want to expose or discuss or deliberate over. I think that’s what makes this story in this film just so interesting and engaging, is because it works on many levels. It’s not just the good guys versus the bad guys. We go through a lot of different arguments and reasoning within the dialogue and the setups that we have before decisions are made to do what they’re going to do.”
You need the right team to get the job done. #Heist88 premieres September 29 with the #ParamountPlus with SHOWTIME plan. pic.twitter.com/d9CJML66Iv
— SHOWTIME (@Showtime) September 21, 2023
Courtney B. Vance is a cultural icon. How would you describe the creative energy that he brought to the set?
He has an incredible presence wherever he is, whether he is on camera or not on camera. It’s no surprise to me that he has this incredible portfolio and catalog of outstanding work. I think the main thing I loved about him is that he plays a real charming character, but then also switches very quickly, when needed, to becoming someone who’s incredibly dangerous and potentially a killer. He has that ability to transform himself as an actor. Actually, that’s what the character required as well. I think that was the real strength that he brought to the whole project because he could charm the pants off these kids, but at the same time make them feel like he was completely controlling them and dominating them.
That really is the strength of his performance and all the qualities that he possesses as an actor, which we’ve all seen in so many different dramas, most recently, 61st Street, and obviously the OJ Simpson Trials, et cetera. There’s so many incredible roles that he’s played. I think this one stands out just as well up against those kinds of roles.
“Heist 88” is now streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on September 29.
READ MORE: Screenwriter Dwayne Johnson-Cochran Talks ‘Heist 88’ Starring Courtney B. Vance | EUR Exclusive
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