Scott Speedman stars in "Edwin Boyd."
Directed by Nathan Morlando (Canada)
Narrative-wise, this handsomely mounted debut from Nathan Morlando is based (loosely) on the real-life exploits of Edwin Alonzo Boyd and the gang he led on a series of bank robberies in Ontario in the late 1940s and early 50s. Cinematically and thematically, the feature owes a big debt to Arthur Penn's classic Bonnie and Clyde, with Scott Speedman convincingly portraying Boyd as social bandit/hunky existential antihero/Robin Hood(lum)-like folk icon and devoted swain (to his long-suffering English war bride Doreen, played by Kelly Reilly). If the film can't quite shake this aroma of déjà vu, it's never less than watchable, with a solid cast, some clever musical choices (the Black Keys!) and a muted, wintry palette that spells C-A-N-A-D-A.
Sept. 10, 9:15 p.m., Lightbox 1; Sept. 12, 3 p.m., Ryerson