Deeply in debt to the Russian mob, master jewel thief Ripley recruits a talented burglar to help him pull off one more daring heist: filching two gem-encrusted Fabergé eggs worth a cool $20 million each. The stakes stack up when Ripley's criminal creditors threaten to kill his goddaughter, while the cop who's been trying to nail Ripley for years is hot on his trail.

Heist films are always a popular one among movie buffs and The Code aka Thick as Thieves has a lot going for it even before the opening credits begin to roll. I mean how can you go wrong with a cast which includes, Morgan Freeman,Antonio Banderas and Radha Mitchell? What the film lacks in originality in more than makes up for with the fast pace and plot twists that always have you on the edge of your seat. Morgan Freeman is at his best as Kieth Ripley, the cool, collected internationally known master art thief that takes on Gabriel(Banderas), a mysterious type who may not be who appears to be. These two fine actors show great chemistry together and while each character they play is very different they still manage to blend together perfectly. Radha Mitchell is Alex, Gabriel's love interest, who just happens to also be both Ripley's God daughter and daughter of the Russian Mob boss. Then you have Robert Forster as the cop who has been trying to catch Ripley for years and who is still hot on his tail and closing in. This is a well done film and I am surprised it did not get a theater run, I have certainly seen a lot worse open in theaters in wide release. There is no real action scenes to speak of but the film never really needs it, it is smartly written and the twists along the way keep you guessing on how the film is going to end. Like I stated before with a cast such as this you have a hard time failing but I give credit to Writer,Ted Humphrey and Director, Mimi Leder for keeping the film fresh and keeping the audience watching, wondering which direction the film will go in next. There has certainly been better movies in this genre but I for one found this one to be entertaining enough and the cast really takes the film up another notch. Also it is nice to see Mr. Banderas back in a film again, it seems like he gets less and less roles nowadays and that is a shame as he always brings his charm to every role. The DVD comes with Special Features that Includes the TellX Technology that allows the viewer to interact with the film using their remote control, this is a very cool feature and makes this an even better buy on DVD. Released by First Look Studios. *** 1/2 Out Of *****.