Puzzling in its treatment of its heroine, but still a lively heist thriller

Story: A reformed young woman is forced back into crime when her old boss gives her a brutal choice: join a heist or let her unreliable boyfriend die.Review: Heist films built around casinos and car chases rarely bore the viewer, so Shawn Simmons, best known as the writer of ‘Deadpool,’ hasn’t exactly taken on the toughest challenge with his debut feature as director. ‘Eenie Meanie’ is sassy and entertaining, with the romance between two flawed characters placed at the center of this fast-moving thriller. Yet for a writer of Simmons’ experience, the heroine feels surprisingly uninspiring and, at times, subtly undermined by the way she is written.Edie (Samara Weaving) was trained in getaway driving by her father at the age of 14, while juggling parents lost to drugs. Shuffled through foster homes, she grew up to become a legendary wheelwoman for high-stakes robberies, earning a reputation in the criminal underworld. Now determined to reform, Edie has enrolled in college and works a legitimate job, though bills continue to pile up. Her new path falters when she learns she is pregnant. Hoping to reconnect with her father, she is drawn back into his world of petty crime. John (Karl Glusman), her unreliable on-again, off-again boyfriend, may have saved her life in the past, but his ineptitude now forces her to take on a dangerous getaway job for her former boss Nico (Andy Garcia). As the plan unfolds, Edie executes it with skill, but the fallout is messy, unpredictable, and morally compromising.On the surface, the film leaves little room for analysis, relying instead on amusing characters and quirky, unexpected turns. The frustration lies in its central premise: Edie returns to crime not for herself or her unborn child, but to protect a man who offers nothing but trouble. Their bond, rooted in shared hardship, feels authentic, yet Edie’s decision to stick by him evokes a throwback to 1980s storylines—a woman sacrificing everything for her flawed man. Performances are solid, with Glusman leaning into John’s incompetence with gusto, while Weaving delivers a serviceable lead turn that never quite matches the energy of the narrative. Supporting players add flavour, from Marshawn Lynch as her cocky rival driver to Randall Park as a motor-mouthed person. Simmons’ knack for sharp, witty character beats—so evident in ‘Deadpool’—makes itself felt here.The film is stylishly crafted, with slick camerawork, energetic pacing, and car chases staged with verve. The humour pops, and characters enter and exit at just the right moments to keep things lively. Yet the tonal balance wobbles toward the end, when sentimentality intrudes and the narrative pivots toward a surprising twist. While the twist adds spice, the resolution itself feels unsatisfying, leaving an impression that the story builds to more than it ultimately delivers. For all its polish, the emotions don’t land as convincingly as the action set pieces.What lingers most is the way Simmons writes his heroine. Despite her resilience and intelligence, Edie’s choices are framed in service of the reckless man she is tied to, rather than for herself or her child. At one point, she laments that no one in her life has ever changed for her sake—a poignant truth, yet one undercut by the film’s fatalistic streak. In a story where a woman literally speeds toward her own fate, the message feels uneven. By the end, Edie gestures toward a better path, but the uncertainty around whether anyone around her will support it clouds the impact. ‘Eenie Meanie’ is undeniably a thrill ride, but it asks viewers to set aside their thinking caps and simply enjoy the rush.