A trio of friends is on the fishing trip of a lifetime in Teddy Pryor’s thriller short, Map Heist. Ava (Sofia Goorno), Bellamy (Forest Quaglia), and Oliver (Chris Whitcomb) are on a lazy fishing trip. When Oliver’s only fishing lure gets stuck in the lake, Bellamy dives in only to find it attached to a small treasure chest.
Inside the chest, they find a treasure map in a bottle. The map was left centuries ago by pirates off the cape. Unfortunately, in celebrating their find, the three are noticed by a group of “ruthless” townies on the sands. The townies steal the map as Ava, Bellamy, and Oliver are napping on the shore.
Let’s be real. The “map” story is just a plot device to turn into an action-thriller of our “mouse” trio being chased by the “cat” townies. The majority of the film is that chase.
“…Bellamy dives in only to find it attached to a small treasure chest.”
Map Heist is solely about the action, and it successfully pushes the limits of action under low-budget indie conditions. Most impressive is the fact that our actors really go at it action-wise. The sequences are shot in the forest, and our actors and stunt persons hold nothing back physically. Sofia Goorno, as Ava takes a massive fall during the chase, and I felt it.
The other action comes in the form of hand-to-hand combat. This forces our “weaker” heroes to employ specific tactics to gain the upper hand over the stronger foe. I wouldn’t say the fighting is groundbreaking by any means, but it’s effective enough to tell the story. Of course, everything leads to a big stunt piece at the end.
There are definitely holes in the narrative, but again, we’re not here for that. Map Heist is an impressive action short. You feel the danger and a couple of punches to the gut at the same time. It shows that this small crew of actors and filmmakers could produce an action film on a low budget. Well done. Now, let’s work on that story for next time.
For more information about Map Heist, visit the official website of star and producer Forest Quaglia.
