March is stacked with several highly-anticipated films, including A WRINKLE IN TIME, READY PLAYER ONE and PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING. There is, however, one plucky little action film that could take critics and audiences completely by surprise. THE HURRICANE HEIST looks like a fun and chaotic popcorn action film akin to the FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise.

Based on its trailer, THE HURRICANE HEIST looks insane in the best way possible. It has all the high-octane action you could want, but unlike many action-thrillers, it seems to have a solid plot. Not familiar with THE HURRICANE HEIST? It’s basically The Italian Job plus Twister. It looks like the type of movie that could really click with audiences. The film is set for release on March 9, and there’s a strong possibility that it could be the sleeper hit of the month.

What Is The Hurricane Heist?

THE HURRICANE HEIST stars Maggie Grace (Lost, Taken), Toby Kebbell (DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), all under the direction of Rob Cohen, best known for bringing THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS to life in 2001. Much like THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, THE HURRICANE HEIST is an action thriller, but with a surreal leaning. Even the film’s tagline, “$600 million stolen at 600 miles per hour,” hints at utter insanity.

The film centers on a Treasury agent named Casey (Grace). She has to guard $600 million set to be taken out of rotation. Casey’s job seems simple enough, but, the US Mint facility where she’s stationed is besieged by thieves. To add to the chaos, a category 5 hurricane simultaneously hits the small beach town where the mint is located. Casey seeks help from a meteorologist named Will (Kebbell) and her ex-Marine brother, Breeze (Kwanten). Together, the trio must thwart the robbery and survive the extreme weather conditions.

So that’s easy. Yet there’s something else special hiding beneath the surface. THE HURRICANE HEIST doesn’t have huge movie stars or a big budget, but it appears to have heart. Even in the trailer, Maggie Grace brings a level of relatability and charm that is unusual for the normal action fare. For this, and many other reasons, it’s likely that THE HURRICANE HEIST could surprise critics and audiences alike.

At first glance, this windy thriller could be confused with other disaster films like GEOSTORM and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. Those were visually compelling, but didn’t quite hit with audiences. That’s not unusual for disaster films, which lure people with spectacle, but fall flat when visuals take precedence over story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has perfected the art of blending action and story, but Marvel is an outlier. Oddly enough, THE HURRICANE HEIST, with its relatively tiny $35 million budget, looks to combine action and story in a satisfying way. Sadly, the film is flying far enough under the radar that one solid trailer isn’t enough to get audiences excited for the film. Success for THE HURRICANE HEIST depends on positive reviews and word of mouth.

We’ve seen this before with films like JOHN WICK, which seemingly came out of nowhere and crushed at the box office. While THE HURRICANE HEIST doesn’t have the star power of Keanu Reeves, it does have some clout in the from of director Rob Cohen. The trailer made sure to let audiences know that THE HURRICANE HEIST comes from the minds behind XXX and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS. He’s not a household name, but Cohen brings a pedigree that might intrigue audiences.

A lot of elements need to fall into place, but THE HURRICANE HEIST could be a sleeper hit. It’s opening against some well-known properties like A WRINKLE IN TIME and STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT. Thankfully, THE HURRICANE HEIST doesn’t have to outshine these films. It only needs to have a strong showing at the box office. Given it’s $35 million budget, THE HURRICANE HEIST could turn a hefty profit in the long run. Action/disaster films have also proved that they can dominate at the international box office. If THE HURRICANE HEIST can deliver a fun film experience, it’s very likely that audiences will flock. We can’t wait to see how the film is received. But, for now, we have high hopes that THE HURRICANE HEIST could surprise audiences everywhere.

Make sure to catch the THE HURRICANE HEIST when it hits theaters on March 9, 2018.