Nicolas Cage (“Snake Eyes”, “The Rock”) stars in “211”, a surprisingly entertaining thriller. It’s obviously not as captivating as films such as “Heat” and “Inside Man” but it’s satisfying.

While on a routine patrol with a ride-along teen (Michael Rainey Jr.), police officers Mike Chandler (Cage) and Steve MacAvoy (Dwayne Cameron) find themselves battling for survival when they stumble upon a bank heist. However, these are no ordinary criminals as the place is being robbed by a team of skilled mercenaries. Not only must the cops ensure their own survival but they must do their best to save the lives of the many hostages inside the bank.

It’s always fun to see Cage even when he is in a more restrained role than we have become accustomed to. He doesn’t get much of a chance to start screaming and acting crazy here but he does get to be at the heart of an exciting action flick. While the bad guys are not especially memorable, it is more interesting having them be mercenaries than just regular bank robbers. It also makes it more believable that they can put up a real fight against the police. The ride-along character felt rather unnecessary. The other characters are okay but nothing particularly special.

If you like films such as “Heat”, “Inside Man”, the 2005 remake of “Assault On Precinct 13” and “Training Day” then you will probably get a kick out of this movie. It’s certainly no classic but it does deliver some thrilling action sequences and I was reminded of the shootout in “Heat”. Nicolas Cage fans may be a little gutted that he doesn’t get to be too crazy here but he gives a good performance. Some sources cite this film as being based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout but when I read the details of that incident, it seemed to have little in common with the events of the film. This is an underrated film that is worth checking out.