| High Life | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gary Yates |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Lee MacDougall |
| Starring |
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| Distributed by | Union Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 17, 2009 (Berlinale) January 15, 2010 (Canada) |
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
High Life is a 2009 Canadian film based on the stage play by Lee MacDougall, written by Lee MacDougall and directed by Gary Yates.[1] Starring Timothy Olyphant, Stephen Eric McIntyre, Joe Anderson and Rossif Sutherland, High Life is a comedic heist movie from the flip-side of the 80’s consumer dream.[2]
Contents |
Set in 1983, just after the birth of the Automated Teller Machine, High Life is a story of kinship, loyalty, and honour amongst thieves. In a busy downtown hospital, a visit from his former socio-pathic cellmate Bug (Stephen Eric McIntyre) has just gotten Dick (Timothy Olyphant) fired from his job as a hospital janitor. Unemployed and in need of fast cash Dick gets the idea to rob one of the day’s brand new ATM's, to “buy a little self-respect”, announces Dick to Bug and the team. Enter the charismatic, criminally-minded Donnie, (Joe Anderson) and the front-man, the sexy, sleepy-eyed charmer Billy, (Rossif Sutherland) and all of the pieces are in place.[3] “It’s a precision job,” says Dick the night before the heist: “No violence.” You think?
Naturally things don’t go according to plan and the unfolding catalogue of disasters that confronts Dick is enough to test any friend’s loyalties as the lovable losers bungle their way toward a pipe-dream of quick riches. Alternately tragic and hysterical, High Life’s perfect plan ends up anything but when one of the bank’s employees double-crosses them all. Set against the nostalgic back-beat of Three Dog Night, Creedence Clearwater Revival and a raft of April Wine[4], High Life’s highwire tension unfolds with calamitous results.