Mark Steven Johnson

(On Cable TV, July 2021) There is, at first, an awkwardness to Finding Steve McQueen that makes it slightly unapproachable. Built with the lofty goal of telling us the real story of bank robbers who, in 1972, targeted a bank known for keeping the slush fund to Nixon’s campaign, it’s a film limited by a few artistic choices and a budget that’s not quite large enough to accommodate its intentions. The washed-out cinematography is disappointingly limited, and the film’s lone car chase only drives the point home. Even when it goes from Ohio to California, Finding Steve MaQueen’s colours don’t pop and neither does the protagonist. Fortunately, we eventually get used director Mark Steven Johnson’s choices, and that’s when the film takes off. Featuring a character obsessed with Steve McQueen, it’s a lighthearted, occasionally comedic heist film that clearly revels in its period detail. The soundtrack is an absolute banger, even if the film doesn’t quite have the budgetary envelope to do much more than hairstyles, movie marquees, pop-culture dialogue and cars to ground itself in 1972. The lighthearted tone does much to warm up the film, and some of the dialogue finds its mark. There’s an interesting supporting cast to further keep it interesting, such as William Fichner as a gang leader and Forest Whittaker as a sullen FBI agent. Still, the 1980 framing device doesn’t quite fit with the heist mechanics, and is another element that goes into the final ledger for Finding Steve McQueen: it’s one of those films that’s competent enough to be watched, but far from reaching its own stated ambitions. Either satisfying or disappointing, depending on how you look at it or the expectations you bring to it.