Emily The Criminal Review

gamerant.com:

Emily the Criminal is a story we have seen many times before. The money-hungry character who gets too deep into their ambitions and flies too close to the sun. These films range from Scarface to Wall Street, and even television shows like Breaking Bad. And while Emily the Criminal is derived from other films, the film itself finds a fresh voice in a strong performance by Aubrey Plaza.

For an actress who began in comedy, Plaza is continuing down a fascinating path of roles that reveal different sides to her. Where Legion showed her wicked villain chops in frantic ways, the new thriller Emily the Criminal adds more dimension to her acting abilities as a dog-eat-dog persona. Regardless of the familiar tale, it's a joy to witness her growth.

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In the movie, Emily is an independent contractor for a catering service barely meeting her financial obligations. She is shrouded in debt due to college loans, she never finished her degree because of life circumstances, and she has an assault on her criminal record. All of this has made Emily short-tempered and somewhat jaded. This attitude is reflected in job interviews, making it difficult for an employer to get past her fiery bedside manner.

She gets a number from a coworker that is said to be an easy two hundred dollar payout. To her surprise, the job in question is an illegal credit card scheme run by Youcef (Theo Rossi) where recruits use stolen numbers and identities to buy expensive products and then Youcef flips the items to other buyers. Emily being ambitious and desperate rises to the challenge and decides to dive further into the world of credit card fraud.

Once Emily immerses herself in Youcef's world, it's here that Plaza as a