There is only one vehicle of consequence in the film, though several give it chase. That is the bus, route no. 657. Shot, teargassed, spray-painted, crashed, almost burnt, bloodied. It never leaves our sight.

Working in this film’s favor is the aforementioned brisk pace and the taut editing. It somehow adds to the sense of desperation and urgency that the lead pair feels. Overall, a passable action potboiler.

We’ve been in this ‘situations’ in previous films of the genre. We know how it’s going to end. That’s never a good thing. What starts out promisingly, ends up quite middling. It’s a lazily made film. It might work in the matinee slot. But as a thriller feature, it could have done so much better! Disappointed.

It’s quite confusing when there’s no clear cut difference between the good and the bad. Most of the events play out in predictable fashion. The chase is reasonably gripping and the twists that account for the escape and safety from apprehension border on humanitarian and ethical premises. There’s no real tension to draw you in and the suspense is a little too vapid to make a difference in engagement.

The film’s other fatal flaw is that it takes itself very seriously – this is a distraction when you’re aware that everything that’s happening in the film is either improbable or stupid. Even a wee bit of self awareness would probably have made Heist passable as a movie that is so bad it is fun, unfortunately as things stand this is a movie that is so bad that it is unwatchable.

The film has made a good attempt to make a mark as a fast-paced suspense film that keeps the audience fixated but its dissonant plot is leaves you wanting more. The praiseworthy acting by the star cast coupled with the high intensity action scenes make the film a fun one-time watch.

The film, thankfully, isn’t too long. To be fair, it might even work for an audience okay with spending 1 hour 30 minutes of their life watching a ‘timepass’ level generic thriller. But for the more serious moviegoer, Bus 657 is one they should be happy to miss.

You probably haven’t had this much fun with a modern B- grade movie in a while.

And Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Need I say more?