Movie Review: Beyond the City Limits

Beyond the City Limits (a.k.a. Rip It Off a.k.a. Rip Off)
Starring: Jennifer Esposito, Alyson Hannigan, Steve Harris, Nastassja Kinski, Brian McCardie, Todd Field, Michael Cole, Alexis Denisof, Chris Ellis, Marcos A. Ferraez, Sophie B. Hawkins, Toby Huss, Freddy Rodríguez, Jose Yenque, Sandra Gould, Stanley Ross, Jack Wallace, Eric Winzenried, Clabe Hartley, Roxanne Hart, Paul Goodman, Adrian Ricard, Theodora Lynch 

Director: Gigi Gaston
Filmtown Entertainment, American World Pictures (AWP), Big Pictures Entertainment, USA, Canada, 2001.

Troy (Steve Harris) hires Russian crooks Yuri (Alexis Denisof) and Sergei (Brian McCardie) to rob a casino. Lexi (Alyson Hannigan) Misha (Nastassja Kinski) are tired of their abusive loser boyfriends. They meet an old friend Helena (Jennifer Esposito). Helena has divorced from frustrated cop Jack Toretti (Todd Field).

Troy

Yuri and Sergei

Misha and Lexi

Two detectives get shot in a bar. They were the corrupt cops who were supposed to help with the casino robbery. The girls get thrown out of their homes. The girls hatch a plan to get even with their boyfriends. Helena tells Jack about the robbery plan, and Jack wants his share of the loot. Helena tries to blackmail Jack with Lucy Spatt (Sophie B. Hawkins). Lexi gets addicted to heroin and Misha tries to get her clean. There is also a hinted romance between Lexi and Misha. When Sergei beats up Lexi, Misha pits Sergei and Yuri against each other. The two idiots kill each other.

Jack

Helena

Mexican Russian Standoff

Because the Russinas are dead Jack is left out of the plan. The girls plan to make the casino robbery by themselves with Troy. The robbery does not go as planned and there are some double crossings. Jack ends up running naked on the streets.

Lucy Spatt

Hinted romance

The movie looks like it had no budget at all. It is not much of a heist movie but rather a drama about criminals. There is an attempt to make strong female characters, all the male characters are sleazy scumbags. There is some good acting especially by Alyson Hannigan. The idea of women's "Ocean 11" is not bad but the script and editing is terribly messy. Plot is full of red herrings and supporting characters that do not have much importance to the story. 

Rating: Bad