There is a good probability you have watched one thing Joe and Anthony Russo directed through the years. Perhaps you are a fan of their work on sitcoms like Neighborhood (together with two of its finest paintball episodes) or Arrested Improvement. Perhaps you noticed Extraction or The whole lot All over the place All At As soon as, and the hit collection, From, all of which the Russos produced. However the Russos are in all probability finest recognized for his or her work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe; they directed 4 movies, closing out the primary Captain America trilogy with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil Struggle, then directing the staggeringly profitable Avengers: Infinity Struggle and Avengers: Endgame. The Russos are additionally set to return to the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, bringing again Robert Downey Jr., this time as Physician Doom.

However earlier than they introduced Marvel and Netflix blockbuster success, the Russo Brothers directed against the law comedy caper, Welcome to Collinwood. Welcome to Collinwood may not be as effectively often known as the Russos’ different work, but it surely’s a surprisingly humorous movie. A part of that’s because of the ensemble solid, which incorporates Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, and George Clooney. The opposite half is because of the story itself and the way it upends the expectations of a heist movie.

What Is ‘Welcome to Collinwood’ About?

Welcome to Collinwood is the story of a bunch of unlikely thieves: beginner boxer Pero “Pepe” Mahalovic (Rockwell), thieves Cosimo (Luis Guzman) and Toto (Michael Jeter), Riley (Macy), who’s left to care for his toddler son after his spouse’s arrested, and Leon (Isaiah Washington). When Cosimo’s arrested, he learns that his cellmate tried to drag off a “Bellini” — an ideal heist — by breaking into a jewellery retailer and cracking the secure. Pero learns in regards to the Bellini from Cosimo in jail, ultimately getting out and deciding to drag the heist off himself. Joined by Leon, Toto, Riley, and Cosimo’s girlfriend Rosalind (Patricia Clarkson), Pero maps out a plan to crack the secure. That plan includes the assistance of safecracker Jerzy (George Clooney) and knowledgeable timing. However, in fact, issues begin to go horribly, horribly fallacious.

‘Welcome to Collinwood’ Options Parts That Present Up within the Russo Brothers’ Marvel Work

Although Welcome to Collinwood is a heist comedy, it is also a comedy of errors. Theoretically, Pero and his crew can pull off the heist, however nothing works out of their favor. Pero makes an attempt to get a date with Carmela (Jennifer Esposito) — the maid who works within the condo the place the secure’s positioned — in order that he can raise her keys, however he finally ends up really falling for her. Leon learns that one other member of the crew, Basil (Andrew Davoli) is courting his sister Michelle (Gabrielle Union); shortly after, Basil quits the crew as a result of Michelle needs an “sincere man” in her life, leaving them down an individual. As if these escapades weren’t humorous sufficient, the solid’s interactions are the most effective a part of the movie. Rockwell brings his trademark easygoing vitality to Pero, whereas Macy delivers an outstanding efficiency in a scene the place Riley downs an immense quantity of painkillers, and Clooney steals scene after scene by making Jerzy a fast-talking, short-tempered man.

In a approach, Welcome to Collinwood would function the template for the Russos’ MCU movies, notably Infinity Struggle and Endgame. Although each movies are in a very completely different style and have a far bigger finances, the Russos are in a position to steadiness an enormous ensemble solid by enjoying completely different characters towards one another, whether or not it is Downey’s Iron Man and Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Physician Unusual or Thor (Chris Hemsworth) assembly the Guardians of the Galaxy. Infinity Struggle additionally contains a theme of failure, because the Avengers strive however fail to cease Thanos (Josh Brolin) from gathering the Infinity Stones, whereas Endgame presents its personal distinctive tackle a heist movie. Like Welcome to Collinwood, Infinity Struggle and Endgame additionally took daring swings, showcasing that the Russos had been greater than able to stepping outdoors the field, after which whacking stated field to items.

Steven Soderbergh Helped the Russo Brothers Get ‘Welcome to Collinwood’ to the Huge Display screen

One other filmmaker helped deliver Welcome to Collinwood to life: Steven Soderbergh. In the course of the Sands Worldwide Movie Competition, the Russos revealed that Soderbergh had been impressed by their debut movie, Items, even supposing it did not catch on on the Sundance Movie Competition. “It was insanely formidable and dense…I used to be simply very activated by how activated they had been and it was clear they had been grinders,” Soderbergh stated.

This led him to supply Welcome to Collinwood alongside Clooney, successfully jumpstarting the Russos’ filmmaking profession. Soderbergh would additionally vouch for the Russos once they had been tapped to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier, even calling Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige when he realized about their love of comics. Joe Russo put it finest at Sands: “The help we acquired early on from figures like Soderbergh wasn’t simply useful—it was transformative. It taught us the significance of persistence and inventive risk-taking.” In the identical approach that Welcome to Collinwood‘s crew takes a threat making an attempt to crack the secure for his or her large payday, Soderbergh took a threat on the Russos. Fortunately, the latter really labored out.

Welcome to Collinwood is out there to hire on Prime Video within the U.S.

Lease on Prime Video