What can happen when someone suddenly loses his job; the bank demands the mortgage be paid or they will take their home; and the wife, instead of being supportive during this difficult time, leaves her husband to deal with these problems alone. So when Mickey Ryan (Michael Pare) receives an attitude of indifference from his mother and brother, and from the rest of the world, he does the first thing that comes to his mind – rob the bank that has threatened to take his house.

NO DEPOSIT written and directed by Frank D`Angelo, begins with Mickey Ryan, speaking with the manager of the bank, Gerry Gaci (Eric Roberts), explaining his situation. But Gaci reiterates the rules, and ensures Ryan that this is nothing personal, but the mortgage must be paid off. Soon after, we find our hero drinking in a bar, where he engages with the wrong person, Peter Shay (Michael Madsen).  Peter convinces him that the only way out of this madness is to rob the bank, get money, and begin a new life. When Ryan agrees to do this, he realizes the price of redemption, and the price forgiveness; forgiveness he thought he was not capable of in this moment of darkness…

D`Angelo who not only directs his film, but also plays one of the main characters, Jimmy Valenti, offers an interesting topic in this film. One that I am sure is quite painful for many people – dealing with a mortgage. Even though the plot itself is quite relevant nowadays and engaging, it seems that the cast did not believe in it, or most likely have never experienced this situation since the performance they delivered was quite poor and unconvincing. Michael Pare, who portrays Mickey Ryan, seems to be uninterested in his character and only shows up to play the part he was assigned.

Even though the idea of the film is quite brilliant and the plot itself is rich, unfortunately, it loses the point when the cast don`t believe in it. However, it`s still a watchable film, and deserving of the viewer’s attention, who I am sure will applaud D`Angelo for his attempt to tell a story of how important it is to get support from our loved ones, especially when you`re about to cross that thin line between dignity and disgrace.

Screening Time: June 14 2015, 6:15 PM
Location: TIFF Bell Lightbox