FIFENA1. [Past] Narrative Feature Films: 2001

Submitted by dgeiser13 on Sat, 12/29/2001 - 03:58
Tags: 
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Technorati
  1. Ranked and Rated
  2.  
  3. ========= 8 Stars ========
  4.  
  5. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
  6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
  7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  8.  
  9. ========= 7 Stars ========
  10.  
  11. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
  12. Gosford Park (2001)
  13. Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amélie Poulain (2001) (aka Amelie)
  14. Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
  15. Y Tu Mamá También (2001) (aka And Your Mother Too)
  16. Monsoon Wedding (2001)
  17. Das Experiment (2001) (aka The Experiment)
  18. Donnie Darko (2001)
  19. In the Bedroom (2001)
  20. The Others (2001)
  21. Scotland, Pa. (2001)
  22. Sur Mes Lèvres (2001) (aka Read My Lips)
  23. Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
  24. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
  25. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  26.  
  27. ========= 6 Stars ========
  28.  
  29. Lucía Y El Sexo (2001) (aka Sex and Lucia)
  30. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
  31.  
  32. AI: Artificial Intelligence (2001) ~ Well, I saw A.I. yesterday. If you know me you'd know that I rarely go to see films opening weekend not to mention opening day. The last film I saw on opening day was Hannibal. Suffice it to say I have bad luck with opening day.
  33.  
  34. A.I. is probably the most bizarre film that Steven Spielberg will ever make. It's obvious that he tried very hard to honor the spirit of Stanley Kubrick and I'm guessing a lot of big things (plot point) and small things (certain camera angles and dialogue snippets) had already been hashed out by Stanley Kubrick before Spielberg took over.
  35.  
  36. Parts of the film seemed to drag on and on and other parts seemed to go too quickly. Just when things would get interesting the story would veer off in a different direction and seemingly simple portions of the story would be 'lovingly' fawned over.
  37.  
  38. Kubrick can be frustrating. I really think the isolation that came later in his life stretched to the current state of film storytelling, and he has a way of complimenting and insulting the intelligence of the viewer at the same time. I think that those familiar with some basic sci-fi memes would agree with me on this in relation to this film.
  39.  
  40. I would be very suprised if someone loved A.I. It's not the type of film that one can love. It's too much of a curiosity for that. On the other hand I will completely respect the view of others when they get a chance to see it if they disagree with mine. The film just didn't do it for me.
  41.  
  42. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
  43.  
  44. Enigma (2001) ~ Strong direction and script by Michael Apted and Tom Stoppard, respectively, made Enigma a compelling thriller. Had enough romance and intrigue to be of interest to those who aren't computer geeks. Worked well on multiple layers with the simultaneous resolution of three distinct, yet intertwined, mysteries. Really strong performances by all including Kate Winslet (sexy and plump with pregnancy), Jeremy Northam (great year for him with this and his great performance in Gosford Park), Dougray Scott (redeeming himself for the part he played in the wretched Mission: Impossible II (2000)) and Saffron Burrows (redeeming herself for her association with Deep Blue Sea (1999)). Saffron was positively radiant in this film. I think a good time will be had by all who watch.
  45.  
  46. Monster's Ball (2001)
  47. Frailty (2001)
  48.  
  49. Iris (2001) ~ Iris is a good movie but it could've been much, much better. The performances were all good and the direction was interesting (if not innovative) but the film was woefully short, running about 90 minutes, and I left the theater knowing little more than I did about her before I entered the theater. Instead of the story of Iris we get the story of Iris and John (her husband), the months (or was it years? - the movie had such a poor sense of time it was hard to tell) and events surrounding when they first met and the months (or was it years?) leading up to her death. It could've easily used added an additional half hour to it's running time and pared back some John and Iris episodes in favor of the events which influenced her personal philosophy. Perhaps a different, better movie will do the life of Iris Murdoch justice but if you want to learn much about her this isn't the film for you (or me).
  50.  
  51. Bella Martha (2001) (aka Mostly Martha)
  52. Joy Ride (2001)
  53. Kids in the Hall: Same Guys, New Dresses (2001)
  54. Lantana (2001)
  55. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
  56. Lovely & Amazing (2001)
  57. Enemy at the Gates (2001)
  58. Shrek (2001)
  59. Shallow Hal (2001)
  60. Training Day (2001)
  61. Intacto (2001)
  62. Vanilla Sky (2001)
  63. Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
  64. Human Nature (2001) [06/10]
  65. The Bread, My Sweet (2001) [06/10]
  66. Spy Kids (2001)
  67.  
  68. ========= 5 Stars ========
  69.  
  70. Les Pacte des Loups (2001) (aka Brotherhood of the Wolf)
  71. Spy Game (2001)
  72. Serendipity (2001)
  73.  
  74. Ocean's Eleven (2001) ~ ~ Let me start by saying that the idea of remaking a Rat Pack movie is brilliant and I couldn't think of a better director, Steven Soderbergh, or lead actor, George Clooney, to handle the job. Or so I thought...
  75.  
  76. It's hard to pinpoint specifically why Ocean's Eleven didn't work as good as it should have for me. The performances were uniformly good and each of the characters got their chance to shine. Great portions of the dialogue were snappy, witty and snide and quite funny. The cinematography was great, the movie looked awesome, and the direction was spot on solid.
  77.  
  78. But in general the movie was boring. That's the only way I can describe it. This was just a regular movie with a regular plot and all of the awesome talent arrayed around it couldn't make it shine like it should've.
  79.  
  80. Here are two examples, I'm sure I could come up with more, of things that put the kibosh on this film working for me:
  81.  
  82. One was the motivation of the characters. Hardly any of the characters besides Clooney, Garcia and Roberts' character seemed to be doing, behaving and saying what they should've given the circumstance. All of the supporting characters in the "love story" plot thread (Damon and Pitt) even after finding out Danny's real reason for going to Vegas seemed too accepting. I guess the money and the "brilliant" plan along with the thrill of its execution we're supposed to be their motivators but if that was it then it wasn't conveyed very well.
  83.  
  84. The second is a logistical thing. I still cannot see, for the life of me, how they got the bags (the ones with the Big White X's on the end) and their contents (the sex flyers) into the vault. The chinese acrobat definitely didn't have them. Clooney and Damon didn't appear to have them. Yet they had everything bagged and waiting for the casino employees to carry out to the first white van. If you can explain it to me I would appreciate it.
  85.  
  86. As I said these are just two examples. I think a critical film forum could easily come up with many more.
  87.  
  88. Bottom Line: Do not be enticed by the pedigree of this film. It is not very good.
  89.  
  90. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
  91. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
  92. Heist (2001)
  93. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
  94. Black Hawk Down (2001)
  95. The Deep End (2001)
  96. Blow (2001)
  97. Chuen Jik Sat Sau (2001) (aka Fulltime Killer)
  98. CQ (2001)
  99. Birthday Girl (2001)
  100. Bandits (2001)
  101. Ali (2001)
  102. From Hell (2001)
  103. Legally Blonde (2001)
  104. The Mexican (2001)
  105. K-PAX (2001)
  106. Hannibal (2001)
  107. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
  108. Planet of the Apes (2001)
  109. Pearl Harbor (2001)
  110. The Score (2001)
  111.  
  112. Evolution (2001) ~ Evolution finally confirms for me what I've been suspecting of late which is that a comedy which I would only give a 5 on a scale of 10 can actually be enjoyable and fun to watch. You know Saturday night, pay-per-view, girlfriend is out of town, there's absolutely nothing on, what the heck? Why not watch Evolution? It has a once-quality director in Ivan Reitman and some quality actors in Orlando Jones, David Duchovny and Julianne Moore. And then you watch the movie and about a third of the way through you realize that it's going to suck so you flip your brain off and enjoy it as best as you can. The actors do their best with a lame-ass script, the effects crews do a bang-up job (and should've gotten an Academy nod) and Ivan Reitman, who apparently doesn't know what passes for comedy in this day and age, ham-fistedly directs the film into the ground. But that's alright. You laughed, you squirmed (a little) and you groaned (a lot) but Saturday night was less lonely than it had any right to be.
  113.  
  114. The Tailor of Panama (2001)
  115. Jurassic Park III (2001)
  116. Ghosts of Mars (2001)
  117. Joe Dirt (2001)
  118. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
  119. Zoolander (2001)
  120. Harvard Man (2001)
  121.  
  122. Say It Isn't So (2001) ~ It should suffice to say that I never figured I'd spending my time watching this movie and better yet spending time formulating "thoughts" about it. I'd be horrifed to know that anyone had given 90 minutes of their time based on anything positive I'd written about it so I'd better choose my words carefully. We (my girfriend and I) watched it. We had fun watching it. We laughed out loud more times than we had any right to. Maybe it was just the mood of the night. Something was in the air and it caused us to have fun watching this movie. That doesn't mean you will and I can't in any way recommend that you see this movie. Joe Dirt looks rather good compared to this movie. Maybe that'll give you something to go by. I, repeat, do not watch this movie. Unless you really, really like Heather Graham or the Farrelly brothers. But not their good movies. This doesn't compare to those. :-)
  123.  
  124. Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
  125. Knockaround Guys (2001) [05/10]
  126. Don't Say a Word (2001)
  127.  
  128. ========= 4 Stars ========
  129.  
  130. The Mummy Returns (2001) ~ The Mummy Returns is all about overkill. Plot points are hashed and re-hashed. There are 10 times more special-effects then necessary. There is 10 times less story than you'd prefer. There are way too many main characters, and minor characters, and mummies and their cronies. There are some nice touches here but for God's sake throttle back on the funstick for a second. After a point, eye-candy loops around on itself and becomes dull. Especially when it's nonsensical. If ever a film begged to be slim, trim and fit this is it. If you have the misfortune of seeing this film you'll know what I mean. The few saving graces of this film are
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    the beauty of the aerial scenes with the dirigible (making me feel that Farmer's Riverworld could be given cinematic justice some day)
    and the beauty of Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez.
  131.  
  132. Dagon (2001)
  133. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
  134. Swordfish (2001)
  135. Cats & Dogs (2001)
  136. Black Knight (2001)
  137. Heartbreakers (2001)
  138. The One (2001)
  139.  
  140. ========= 3 Stars ========
  141.  
  142. ========= 2 Stars ========
  143.  
  144. ========= 1 Stars ========
  145.  
  146. ==========================
  147.  
  148. To See?
  149.  
  150. Definitely: Avalon (2001), Elling (2001), Kurosawa (2001), No Man's Land (2001), Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001) (aka Spirited Away), Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001), Whasango (2001) (aka Volcano High)
  151.  
  152. Probably: Abril Despedaçado (2001) (aka Behind the Sun), Aoi haru (2001), Atanarjuat (2001) (aka The Fast Runner), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Baran (2001), The Barber (2001), Bartleby (2001), The Believer (2001), Betty Fisher et Autres Histoires (2001) (aka Alias Betty), Bizita Q (2001), Boycott (2001), Brigham City (2001), The Cat's Meow (2001), Conspiracy (2001), Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no Tobira (2001) (aka Cowboy Bebop: The Movie), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), The Emperor's New Clothes (2001), L'Emploi du Temps (2001) (aka Time Out), El Espinazo del Diablo (2001), Fausto 5.0 (2001), Final (2001), Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), Gypsy 83 (2001), Hatuna Meuheret (2001) (aka Late Marriage), Hell House (2001), La Hijo de la Novia (2001) (aka Son of the Bride), Hundstage (2001) (aka Dog Days), Intimacy (2001), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Jump Tomorrow (2001), En Kærlighedshistorie (2001) (aka Kira's Reason: A Love Story), Katakuri-ke no Kôfuku (2001) (aka The Happiness of the Katakuris), Killer Me (2001), Killer Tattoo (2001), The King Is Alive (2000), Koroshiya 1 (2001) (aka Ichi the Killer), L.I.E. (2001), Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), Life as a House (2001), The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001), Ma Femme est une Actrice (2001) (aka My Wife is an Actress), À ma soeur! (2001), Metoroporisu (2001), Ni Neibian Jidian (2001) (aka What Time Is It There?), Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001), Non Ho Sonno (2001) (aka Sleepless), Onmyoji (2001), The Other Side of Heaven (2001), Our Song (2000), Le Peuple Migrateur (2001) (aka Winged Migration), La Pianiste (2001) (aka The Piano Teacher), Picture Claire (2001), Le Placard (2001) (aka The Closet), Rain (2001), Revolution OS (2001), Rock Star (2001), En Sång för Martin (2001), Session 9 (2001), Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (2001), Siu lam juk kau (2001), The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), La Stanza del Figlio (2001), Storytelling (2001), Taxi para tres (2001), Things Behind the Sun (2001), Tmavomodrý Svet (2001) (aka Dark Blue World), Treed Murray (2001), Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise (2001), Vagón fumador (2001), Virgil Bliss (2001), Waking Life (2001), Waking the Dead (2000/I), Wit (2001), Xingfu Shiguang (2001) (aka Happy Times), Zus & Zo (2001)
  153.  
  154. Possibly: `R Xmas (2001), 15 Minutes (2001), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), The 51st State (2001), 61* (2001), The Affair of the Necklace (2001), Akai hashi no shita no nurui mizu (2001) (aka Warm Water Under A Red Bridge), All Over the Guy (2001), All the Queen's Men (2001), Alone (2001), Along Came a Spider (2001), American Desi (2001), American Pie 2 (2001), An American Rhapsody (2001), America's Sweethearts (2001), American Outlaws (2001), Amy's Orgasm (2001), L'Anglaise et le Duc (2001), The Animal (2001), The Anniversary Party (2001), AntiTrust (2001), Asoka (2001), The Attic Expeditions (2001), Babí Léto (2001), Baby Boy (2001), The Bank (2001), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Benzina (2001), Better Than Sex (2000), Beyond Vanilla (2001), Bichunmoo (2000), Big Bad Love (2001), Les Blessures Assassines (2000), Blow Dry (2001), The Breed (2001), Brève traversée (2001), Bully (2001), The Business of Strangers (2001), Chaos (2001), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), The Caveman's Valentine (2001), The Center of the World (2001), Chaos (2001), Charlotte Gray (2001), The Château (2001), Chelsea Walls (2001), Comment j'ai tué mon père (aka How I Killed My Father), Corky Romano (2001), Crazy/Beautiful (2001), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Crush (2001), Daddy and Them (2001), Dak miu mai shing (2001), Dans ma peau (2002) (aka In My Skin), The Day the World Ended (2001), Dead Creatures (2001), Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001), Disco Pigs (2001), Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Double Take (2001), Double Whammy (2001), Down (2001), Down and Out with the Dolls (2001), Down to Earth (2001), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Driven (2001), Éloge de L'Amour (2001), Failan (2001), Le Fate Ignoranti (2001), Les Filles ne savent pas nager (2000), Final Stab (2001), Finder's Fee (2001), Focus (2001), The Forsaken (2001), The Fourth Angel (2001), Gabriela (2001), Gang Tapes (2001), Gaudi Afternoon (2001), Get Over It (2001), Go Tigers! (2001), Goyangileul butaghae (2001), The Grey Zone (2001), Happy Campers (2001), Head Over Heels (2001), Heftig Og Begeistret (2001), High Heels and Low Lifes (2001), The Hole (2001), The Holy Land (2001), How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000), Hush! (2001), I Am Sam (2001), Ignition (2001), Invincible (2001), Jackpot (2001), Jason X (2001), Je Rentre à la Maison (2001) (aka I'm Going Home), Jeepers Creepers (2001), Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001), The Jimmy Show (2001), Joe Somebody (2001), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Juana la Loca (2001) (aka Mad Love), Just Visiting (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Kate & Leopold (2001), Kiss of the Dragon (2001), Kissing Jessica Stein (2001), A Knight's Tale (2001), Lan yu (2001), The Last Castle (2001), The Last Minute (2001), Last Orders (2001), The Lawless Heart (2001), Life and Debt (2001), Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), Lift (2001), Lost and Delirious (2001), Love the Hard Way (2001), Made (2001), Maelström (2000), The Majestic (2001), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), Manic (2001), Maryam (2000), Me Without You (2001), Mean Machine (2001), Manic (2001), Monkeybone (2001), Mule Skinner Blues (2001), Musa (2001), The Musketeer (2001), Mutant Aliens (2001), My Beautiful Son (2001), My Kingdom (2001), The Mystic Masseur (2001), The Navigators (2001), No Such Thing (2001), Nobody's Baby (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Novocaine (2001), O (2001), One Night at McCool's (2001), Onmyoji (2001), Original Sin (2001), Osmosis Jones (2001), Out Cold (2001), Pantaleón y las visitadoras (2000), The Parole Officer (2001), Pauline & Paulette (2001), Piñero (2001), Pistol Opera (2001), The Pledge (2001), Princess of Thieves (2001), Princess of Thieves (2001), Qianxi manbo (2001), Rat Race (2001), Raye makhfi (2001) (aka Secret Ballot), Return to Innocence (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), Les Rivières pourpres (2000), Safar e Ghandehar (2001), The Safety of Objects (2001), Save the Last Dance (2001), Saving Silverman (2001), Scary Movie 2 (2001), Scratch (2001), Sennen Joyu (2001) (aka Millennium Actress), Session 9 (2001), The Shipping News (2001), Shoushen nannu (2001), Silencio roto (2001), Shiqi Sui De Dan Che (2001) (aka Beijing Bicycle), Shu shan zheng zhuan (2001), Shurayuki-Hime (2001) (aka The Princess Blade), Sidewalks of New York (2001), Sin Noticias de Dios (2001) (aka No News From God), Someone Like You (2001), Stacy (2001), Stickmen (2001), Suriyothai (2001), Tape (2001), Southern Comfort (2001), Startup.com (2001), Super Troopers (2001), Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History (2001), Suspended Animation (2001), Taking Sides (2001), Texas Rangers (2001), The Tic Code (2000) , Till Human Voices Wake Us (2001), To End All Wars (2001), Totally Blonde (2001), Tout Près des étoiles (2001), Trembling Before G-d (2001), The Triumph of Love (2001), L'Ultimo Bacio (2001) (aka One Last Kiss), Un coupable idéal (2001), The Unsaid (2001), Uprising (2001), Va savoir (2001) (aka Who Knows?), Vengo (2000), Very Annie Mary (2001), Victoria & Albert (2001), War Photographer (2001), Wasabi (2001), Was Tun, Wenn's Brennt? (2001) (aka What to Do in Case of Fire?), Wasabi (2001), Wave Twisters (2001), Wendigo (2001), What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001), World Traveler (2001), Zir-e poost-e shahr (2001), Zuotian (2001)
  155.  
  156. Unlikely: Dust (2001), Glitter (2001), Hotel (2001)
Author Comments: 

My ratings system is explained here. Recent additions to this list are highlighted in yellow.

jim07/10/2002

I've only seen two entries from your "possibly" section, Bandits and Novocaine. My unsolicited advice would be to bump Bandits up to "probably" and Novocaine down to "unlikely."

AJDaGreat07/23/2002

You didn't like "Novocaine"? Well, that's disappointing, I'm a big Steve Martin fan. I've seen almost all of his movies, and all his comedies :), and I've liked almost all that I've seen (not "Mixed Nuts"). Would you recommend it to me?

jim07/23/2002

Even considering your enjoyment of Steve Martin, I wouldn't recommend Novocaine. So far only two Listologists have commented on the movie: me and jgandcag. The results aren't pretty.

jim09/12/2002

Any way I can discourage you from seeing Made? Neither my wife nor I could make it through that movie. I can't remember ever being so annoyed by a character/performance as I was by Vince Vaughn's.

dgeiser1309/14/2002

Yeah, I think this comment alone is enough to discourage me. :-) I've passed over this DVD a few times at the movie store and considering how much I'd likes Swingers you'd think I'd be more interested it. I've just read too many mixed comments about it. I've got a lot of other more worthy films to see before I check out this one.

jim09/14/2002

Whew! I'm glad you're convinced. :-) Although just to make sure you stay convinced I thought I'd also mention that both my wife and I enjoyed Swingers so we really wanted to like Made. Favorable predispositions didn't help at all.

lbangs09/25/2002

Oooh, Spirited Away is the new Hayao Miyazaki film, eh? When it hits town, I will be there!

Thanks for this great list. Keeps me and my movie schedule on our toes!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

dgeiser1309/25/2002

Yep, it just hit theaters in the last week or so. It's supposed to be very good! Thanks for the kinds words. Too bad all of the movies that I want to see haven't hit video yet. :-(

Nick Vane10/30/2002

I have no idea if you're a big fan of camp or schlock. If you are, or you ever find yourself in that mood, I recommend Jason X. A bunch of promiscuous students and ruthless businessmen on a research trip in space terrorized by a mute and seemingly unkillable Jason Voorheis? A cinematic treat.

As a warning, there is some "content" in this movie. 'Course, there is in À Ma Soeur! as well...

dgeiser1310/30/2002

Thanks, Nick. I'll bump it up to Possibly.

Nick Vane10/30/2002

That's all iI ask.

lbangs07/11/2003

I'd love to read your reaction to Intacto. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it more, but I confess, I feel good knowing that at least two people in the world have now seen it!

You do an incredible job maintaining these lists. I love 'em and thank you for them.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

dgeiser1309/15/2003

Why, thanks, L! I'll see what I can do re: Intacto.

directorspen09/24/2003

The Good: Amelie, The Man who wasn't there, Gosford Park, Y Tu Mama, Donnie Darko, Monsters, Inc., A Beautiful Mind, AI, The Royal Tennenbaums, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Jay and Silent Bob, Bandits

The Bad: The Mummy Returns, Swordfish, JP 3, KPAX

The Ugly: Joy Ride, Hedwig/angry inch

jim09/24/2003

I can't quibble with much in your "Good" and "Bad" lists (except The Man Who Wasn't There, which to these eyes is the Coens' only bona fide bomb). I'm kinda surprised by your "Ugly" list though. Joy Ride wasn't high art, but it was a decent representative from a genre that produces few decent representatives. Hedwig wasn't my cup of tea either, but still struck me as a very honest piece of work, and one that I'm glad I saw.

Nice to see the much-maligned A.I. and Bandits get some kudos, and I loved the genre-train-wreck that is Brotherhood of the Wolf. Oh, I also liked K-PAX, but I feel like I shouldn't. I recognize an occassional weekness for sickly-sweet feel good movies in myself.

directorspen09/24/2003

I admit, even though I don't like Hedwig that it was an honest piece of work. The Man who wasn't there was very subtle and though it wasn't the best movie I've seen and won't be on any of my top movie lists, I think it's better than most movies that come to big theaters.

darktremor02/29/2004

Just answering you Ocean's Eleven question:

They had the money in the SWAT bags, which were empty when they entered the casino. Remember, they were pretending to be SWAT team when they re-entered the casino. The tech-guy had the 911 system hacked, so 911 calls from the casino would go to them. They then sent their fake SWAT team of their own group in, pretended to do their thing, then left with the money in the SWAT bags.

jim03/01/2004

Hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of spoilerizing your post above.