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The movie never explains how Preston deals with the situation of Macintosh's "birthday party" putting him around $10,000 into debt (the movie abruptly ends after Quigley, Juice, and Biderman are arrested) or how he was successfully able to make such large purchases in cash for a man no one had ever seen without raising suspicions from the sellers of the items.
The movie never explains how Preston deals with the situation of Macintosh's "birthday party" putting him around $10,000 into debt (the movie abruptly ends after Quigley, Juice, and Biderman are arrested) or how he was successfully able to make such large purchases in cash for a man no one had ever seen without raising suspicions from the sellers of the items.


Furthermore, the movie portrays Preston as the hero, which many take issue with. In reality, stealing that large a sum of money (or any amount) is a serious crime and [[check fraud]] can draw a fine of up to $1,000,000, imprisonment for up to 30 years, or both. Additionally, [[bank]]s provide a critical function in the economy. They provide loans to homes and businesses as well as a secure place for storing cash. Preston's reckless withdrawal of $1,000,000 would cripple most banks and would be a serious detriment to the entire community. It may potentially ruin the savings of those customers whose cash is being held in said bank, eliminate the ability for local businesses to obtain financing or force them to pay higher rates due to decreased competition, put extreme inflationary pressure on the local markets, or even cause a chain-reaction of bank failures in the community.
Furthermore, the movie portrays Preston as the hero, which many take issue with. In reality, stealing that large a sum of money (or any amount) is a serious crime and [[check fraud]] can draw a fine of up to $1,000,000, imprisonment for up to 30 years, or both.

Clearly, the stolen money was not just a cost to the intrepid criminals, but to the entire community as well.


{{endspoilers}}
{{endspoilers}}

Revision as of 05:25, 10 August 2006

Blank Check
File:Blank Check film.jpg
Blank Check film poster
Directed byRupert Wainwright
Written byBlake Snyder,
Colby Carr
Produced byGary Adelson
StarringBrian Bonsall,
Karen Duffy,
James Rebhorn
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
11 February 1994 (USA)
Running time
93 min
LanguageEnglish

Blank Check is a 1994 Disney live action movie.

Plot

Template:Spoiler

The story begins when bank robber Carl Quigley (Miguel Ferrer) escapes from jail. Soon after his prison break Quigley enters a warehouse and recovers $1,000,000 he had hidden there sometime before his arrest (it is unclear exactly how he illegally obtained the money). Quigley, with the help of assailants "Juice" (Tone Loc) and bank president Mr. Biderman (Michael Lerner), devises a money laundering scheme where Quigley will exchange the bills from his hidden "nest egg" (which have been watermarked by the FBI) for unmarked bills in Biderman's bank.

After Quigley visits Biderman in his bank office to discuss his plan (along with threatening Biderman's family if he does not comply with it), Quigley explains that Juice will be stopping by Biderman's office with a check to be cashed for $1,000,000 the next day. After the meeting, Quigley runs over Preston Waters' (Brian Bonsall) bicycle while he was riding it in the bank's parking lot. Pressed for time as he sees a police car patrolling the area, Quigley gives the boy a signed blank check and tells him to give it to his parents so they can buy him a new bike. Instead, the boy writes himself a check for $1,000,000 by printing it on his computer. Preston goes to the bank the following day and is directed to Biderman's office by a teller. Thinking that Preston is Quigley's assistant, Juice, Biderman cashes Preston's check with money from a safe hidden behind a painting. As Preston is leaving the bank, Juice enters Biderman's office with another check for $1,000,000. Realizing that Biderman mistook Preston for Juice, the trio begins a frantic search for Preston. Meanwhile, Preston embarks on an extreme shopping spree over the course of 6 days, buying a castle-style house (by outbidding Quigley using the voicebox on his computer over the phone) along with many other expensive items (limousine service, go-kart track, water slide, etc.). He spends all of the $1,000,000. Preston covers himself by saying he is making these purchases for a millionaire known only as "Macintosh" who lives in the castle house (named after Preston's Macintosh Performa 600).

The entire time, Preston was being investigated by FBI agent Shay Stanley (working undercover as a teller at Biderman's bank) for money laundering as the bills Preston was using to make his purchases were Quigley's watermarked stolen bills. At a birthday party Preston throws for Macintosh that forced Preston into debt (it was also Preston's birthday), he is forced into a showdown with Quigley, Juice, and Biderman. When the trio is confronted by the FBI at Preston's castle house, Quigley claims to be Macintosh. However, with the FBI knowing that Macintosh had been using the watermarked bills, they arrest Quigley, Juice, and Biderman.

Criticisms

The movie never explains how Preston deals with the situation of Macintosh's "birthday party" putting him around $10,000 into debt (the movie abruptly ends after Quigley, Juice, and Biderman are arrested) or how he was successfully able to make such large purchases in cash for a man no one had ever seen without raising suspicions from the sellers of the items.

Furthermore, the movie portrays Preston as the hero, which many take issue with. In reality, stealing that large a sum of money (or any amount) is a serious crime and check fraud can draw a fine of up to $1,000,000, imprisonment for up to 30 years, or both.

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Cast