PITCH BLACK HEIST
Michael Fassbender In The BAFTA-Winning Short
Another heist movie from John Mclean kicks off this week’s PROVOKR watch list. It’s the 2012 BAFTA winner for Best Short. In this comedy, Pitch Black Heist, Michael (Michael Fassbender) and Liam (Liam Cunningham) plan and carry out a safe cracking. The catch is that the robbery must be in the dark because light activates the safe’s alarm. Before the actual theft, the burglars drink pints, get high, and reveal personal details. And nothing goes to plan in this under fifteen-minute movie!
Fassbender is excellent as the brooding younger member of the pair, while Cunningham is older and cheerful. They get a call, which informs them that it’s time for the job. While navigating the dark, the bumbling drunks slowly count steps leading to the safe. Fassbender tells Cunningham that his father was a thief who left his mother. Fassbender lights his cigarette, and the alarm is triggered as he takes out a flashlight and illuminates Cunningham. The police arrive, arrest Cunningham, and Fassbender escapes as the film ends.
Both Fassbender and Cunningham are Irish actors who have acted in a wide range of genres. Fassbender had a role similar to Pitch Black Heist in the full-length feature Shame (2011), by director Steve McQueen. In Shame, Fassbender leads a double life with twists and turns. The film is dramatic, and you don’t expect the results. PROVOKR also loves this one and suggests you watch it too.
