A quite vicious robbery thriller that never quite takes off. Ben Affleck is his usual immobile self as the newly released con who steps into trouble when he decides to take up with the pen-pal gal (Charlize Theron) of the cellmate who has been killed in a riot two days before - assuming his identity. Alas, after one night of bliss, the girl's brother (Gary Sinise) and his goons show up and Affleck finds to his horror that the late pen-pal was an essential cog in the gang's plan to rob a casino. The pre-climactic shoot-out, with the robbers all dressed as Santa Claus, does carry some excitement, but the film chooses to lurch on for another 20 minutes with Affleck forever escaping and being recaptured. Dialogue that isn't terse or tense enough gives the players little help, and a twist at the end is mind-bogglingly nonsensical.