There’s a good chance you’ve watched somethingJoeandAnthonyRussodirected over the years. Maybe you’re a fan of their work on sitcoms likeCommunity(includingtwo of its best paintball episodes) orArrested Development. Maybe you sawExtractionorEverything Everywhere All At Once, and the hit series,From, all of which the Russos produced. But the Russos are probably best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; they directed four films, closing out the first Captain America trilogy withCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandCaptain America: Civil War, then directing the staggeringly successfulAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. The Russos are also set to return to the MCU withAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, bringing backRobert Downey Jr., this time as Doctor Doom.
But before they brought Marvel and Netflix blockbuster success, the Russo Brothers directed a crime comedy caper,Welcome to Collinwood.Welcome to Collinwoodmight not be as well known as the Russos' other work, but it’s a surprisingly funny film. Part of that is due to the ensemble cast, which includesSam Rockwell,William H. Macy, andGeorge Clooney.The other part is due to the story itself and how it upends the expectations of a heist film.
What Is ‘Welcome to Collinwood’ About?
Welcome to Collinwoodis the story of a group of unlikely thieves: amateur boxer Pero “Pepe” Mahalovic (Rockwell), thieves Cosimo (Luis Guzman) and Toto (Michael Jeter), Riley (Macy), who’s left to take care of his infant son after his wife’s arrested, and Leon (Isaiah Washington). When Cosimo’s arrested, he learns that his cellmate attempted to pull off a “Bellini” — a perfect heist — by breaking into a jewelry store and cracking the safe. Pero learns about the Bellini from Cosimo in jail, eventually getting outand deciding to pull the heist off himself.Joined by Leon, Toto, Riley, and Cosimo’s girlfriend Rosalind (Patricia Clarkson), Pero maps out a plan to crack the safe. That plan involves the help of safecracker Jerzy (George Clooney) and expert timing. But, of course, things start to go horribly, horribly wrong.
‘Welcome to Collinwood’ Features Elements That Show Up in the Russo Brothers' Marvel Work
ThoughWelcome to Collinwoodis a heist comedy,it’s also a comedy of errors. Theoretically, Pero and his crew can pull off the heist, but nothing works out in their favor. Pero attempts to get a date with Carmela (Jennifer Esposito) — the maid who works in the apartment where the safe’s located — so that he can lift her keys, but he ends up actually falling for her. Leon learns that another member of the crew, Basil (Andrew Davoli) is dating his sister Michelle (Gabrielle Union); shortly after, Basil quits the crew because Michelle wants an “honest man” in her life, leaving them down a person. As if these escapades weren’t humorous enough,the cast’s interactions are the best part of the film. Rockwell brings his trademark easygoing energy to Pero, whileMacy delivers a phenomenal performancein a scene where Riley downs an immense amount of painkillers, and Clooney steals scene after scene by making Jerzy a fast-talking, short-tempered man.
In a way,Welcome to Collinwoodwould serve as the template for the Russos' MCU films, particularlyInfinity WarandEndgame. Though both films are in a completely different genre and have a far larger budget, the Russos are able to balance a massive ensemble cast by playing different characters against each other, whether it’s Downey’s Iron Man andBenedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange orThor (Chris Hemsworth)meeting the Guardians of the Galaxy.Infinity Waralso features a theme of failure, as the Avengers try but fail to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) from gathering the Infinity Stones, whileEndgamepresents its own unique take on a heist film. LikeWelcome to Collinwood,Infinity WarandEndgamealso took bold swings, showcasing that the Russos were more than capable of stepping outside the box, and then whacking said box to pieces.
Steven Soderbergh Helped the Russo Brothers Get ‘Welcome to Collinwood’ to the Big Screen
Another filmmaker helped bringWelcome to Collinwoodto life:Steven Soderbergh.During the Sands International Film Festival, the Russos revealed that Soderbergh had been impressed by their debut film,Pieces, despite the fact that it failed to catch on at the Sundance Film Festival. “It was insanely ambitious and dense…I was just very activated by how activated they were and it was clear they were grinders,” Soderbergh said.
William H. Macy Threatened to Shoot Ethan Coen’s Dog If He Wasn’t Cast in ‘Fargo’
Well, that’s one way to get cast in a movie.
This led him to produceWelcome to Collinwoodalongside Clooney,effectively jumpstarting the Russos' filmmaking career. Soderbergh would also vouch for the Russos when they were tapped to directCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,even calling Marvel Studios presidentKevin Feigewhen he learned about their love of comics.Joe Russo put it best at Sands: “The support we received early on from figures like Soderbergh wasn’t just helpful—it was transformative. It taught us the importance of persistence and creative risk-taking.” In the same way thatWelcome to Collinwood’s crew takes a risk trying to crack the safe for their big payday, Soderbergh took a risk on the Russos. Thankfully, the latter actually worked out.
Welcome to Collinwoodis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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Welcome to Collinwood
