Perfect crime gone awry

MANILA, Philippines - The perfect crime — victimless, nonviolent and undetectable — goes terribly awry in Columbia Pictures’ no-holds-barred, action-packed thriller Armored. Armored truck guards execute a meticulously planned robbery of their own security firm, but when their seemingly foolproof plan unravels, the men turn against each other as they desperately try to save themselves.

Armored stars Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Milo Ventimiglia, Skeet Ulrich and Columbus Short.

After the death of his parents, Ty Hackett (Short) returns from active duty in Iraq to face a stack of unpaid medical bills, a mortgage and the responsibility for his 14-year-old brother, Jimmy. Ty signs on as a guard at Eagle Shield Security, the same armored car service his father worked for. Under the supervision of his godfather, chief officer Michael Cochrane (Dillon), Ty trains for a grueling and often dangerous new career.

On the last day of his probationary period, his co-workers take the young man out for a congratulatory celebration. Over a couple of beers, they trade anecdotes, reveal loopholes in the security system, and discuss failed robberies and successful heists. Cochrane has the topper: An unsolved holdup in Texas that he believes he knows the answer to. The only way it could have happened, he says, is if the guards themselves staged the robbery.

Driving Ty home later, Cochrane reveals that the incident he was talking about inspired him to plan the perfect crime. With a pickup of $42-M coming up, Cochrane proposes to slip away from the route, stash the money in an abandoned warehouse and call in a holdup. No victims, no bad guys and no clues. 

All it will take to make six men wealthier than their wildest dreams is the cooperation of every guard involved. Cochrane has already convinced the others: Impulsive, hotheaded Baines (Fishburne); quiet but intense Quinn (Reno); high-strung, vulnerable Dobbs (Ulrich) and born-again ex-con Palmer (Nolasco). Ty is all that stands between them and their plans for a better life.

Initially, Ty refuses to even consider robbing his employer, but the threat of losing his house to the bank and his brother to foster care convinces him to join his co-workers, under one condition — Cochrane must assure him that no one will get hurt.

On the big day, the pickup of the cash goes smoothly. After checking in with their dispatcher, the men make the brief detour to their selected hiding place. In high spirits, they move quickly to unload the money, but an unexpected interruption changes the game plan. With millions of dollars at risk and their futures on the line, the crew scrambles to salvage what they can and, in one tragic moment, everything changes.

Opening soon in theaters, Armored is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Log on to www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.