It may have seemed like Robin Hood went over to the dark side in the past few days. Reading the details of the recent budget, you’d be forgiven for thinking he decided to rob from the poor to give to the rich.

For some escapism where for once the undeservedly rich actually get their comeuppance, look no further than Tower Heist. It’s a very canny move for Hollywood to provide something so relatable in these days of the Occupy movement.

Ben Stiller is Josh Kovacs, who manages an exclusive high-security apartment complex for the well heeled of New York City. Their prime client is Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), a big money banker who lives in the penthouse. However, a bombshell is dropped by the FBI when they arrest him for insurance fraud.

It is one thing to cater to the needs of someone accused of a crime; another entirely when you’re one of the victims. This is the situation Kovacs and his crew find themselves in when they realise that Shaw “lost” their pensions that they trusted him to invest wisely. 

They are now left with nothing, but must continue looking after him while he is under house arrest. Kovacs hits on a plan to get back the money that he and his colleagues lost; one of the FBI special agents, Claire Denham (Téa Leoni), tells him she thinks Shaw hid $20,000,000 in his apartment, and he’s pretty sure of where it is.

Along with his brother in law and colleague Charlie (Casey Affleck), ex millionaire turned squatter Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), colleagues Enrique (Michael Peña) and Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and expert petty thief Slide (Eddie Murphy), he concocts a plan to break into the ultra-secure residence. Problem is, he and Enrique have just been fired so aren’t allowed inside the building, and Mr. Fitzhugh has just been evicted.

I’m not going to lie; most of the time Stiller’s attempts at acting annoy me. However, he’s actually very well suited to the role of a loyal employee who gets angry and seeks vengeance when betrayed. Who would have thought? He and Murphy work together very well; I’d like to see them together in other films.

For his part, Murphy is definitely back on form here. Finally, after monopolising so many terrible films in which he played a million and one characters, here he is just playing one character. Well, one and a bit. Also, he’s way more enjoyable to watch when he’s in a supporting role. That way, he’s never in a scene long enough to get annoying.

Broderick is another very pleasant surprise here; usually it’s questionable as to what his function on screen is, and most of the time his characters have an expression on their faces that says they don’t know either. However, here he is given a script that’s just right and he uses it well.

The antics that these characters get up to in pursuit of their goal are unashamedly ridiculous and over the top. Despite this, you never stop rooting for the underdogs who set out to take back what’s rightfully theirs. Don’t watch this for intellectual stimulation; watch it for decent laughs and to see wishes of revenge on those bankers come true.

Christine Brookes