Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Esposito, Isaiah Washington, Gabrielle Union, Michael Jeter
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 86 minutes

Welcome To Collinwood is set in a dodgy suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. It follows the tale of a bunch of somewhat inept small time crooks, and their attempt to break into a pawnbroker's safe for a rumored $300,000 payoff.

Although George Clooney is the main character featured on the advertising for the film he only has a small on-screen role as Jerzy, the wheelchair-bound ex-safecracker that our motley crew seek burglary lessons from. As has been seen before, Clooney does display a decent degree of comedy timing, and is welcome on-screen. Clooney also has a hand in the production along with Steven Soderbergh.

The main character is Pero, played by Sam Rockwell, last seen in Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind. Like Clooney, Rockwell displays a lot of comic ability, and is very funny, although it's fair to say that all of the cast have a moment in the spotlight. With this film, and Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, Rockwell is a star in the making.

William H. Macy, of Fargo fame, plays Riley, another of the crooks who want in on the job. He has a different agenda, as he needs to get $1,000 so that he can pay a fine and get his wife out of prison…he's currently having to look after their young child so it, quite literally, left holding the baby. As could probably be expected, Macy is excellent in the role; possibly due to the similarities the script has in comparison with the work of the Coen brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona), as Macy is a mainstay of them.

Of the other cast members, Luiz Guzman is probably the most recognisable as Cosimo, the crook who gets told of the job, but is in jail at the time, and makes the mistake of telling too many people.

The film is based on the 1958 comedy Big Deal On Madonna Street, the brother Anthony and Joe Russo, have done a very good job with both the direction and the screenplay. They have assembled a gaggle of low-lifes, and breathed a degree of humor and affection into them.

All in all, Welcome To Collinwood is an enjoyable enough film. The plot maybe a bit clichéd, but the sharp humored script, and great performances makes it well worth watching.