Christmas is a time of tables laid with lavish servings of turkey and lashings of cranberry sauce. Of trees heaving with fairy lights and baubles, with scores of presents gathered around like Victorian urchins warming themselves by a lit brazier. Of Hollywood encouraging you to take your shot with Keira Knightley. In other words, it’s a time of rampant consumerism. Sky Max’s The Heist Before Christmas is something of a tonic, then: a Christmas movie for the underserved market in underserved Christmases.
Sure, it pits Spall and James Nesbitt against each other as Santa and Villainous Santa – but the child star Bamber Todd is who really steals the show. What a magnificent drama
The Heist Before Christmas review: This ambitious, anti-capitalist film could have been excellent yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Timothy Spall and James Nesbitt star in this tale about an impoverished family, which attempts to subvert yuletide materialism. But the cinematography and action sequences sadly let it down
TV dramas to enjoy over the festive period include The Heist Before Christmas, which conjures up a Yuletide miracle by blending bleak elements into a warm holiday film with a bit of edge.