This movie probably doesn’t deserve the whole five stars but I have a real affinity for characters like Emily (played by Aubrey Plaza), who, like the Mark Baum and Vinny characters in The Big Short, are people with a code of honor, a sense of awareness, not looking for trouble, but not willing to put up with insolence or nonsense.
To give you a sense of what I mean — and this may need a very minor spoiler alert — a group of criminals has stolen a significant amount from Emily’s boyfriend (also a criminal but less physical than the other criminals) and she’s making a case that they should go and get it back because, among other reasons, the boyfriend owes her a cut of what was stolen.
The boyfriend is against the idea. “These are very serious people,” he says.
Emily replies, “No, no, we’re serious people. Ok? Motherfuckers will just keep taking from you and taking from you until you make the goddamn rules yourself. That’s what this is about. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?”
I say no.
John Patton Ford, in a first-time writer-director effort, keeps things moving. And I like the L.A. locations for a sense of authenticity.
Rating: 
Emily the Criminal
Down on her luck and saddled with debt, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to deadly consequences.Director: John Patton Ford
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo
IMDb rating: 6.7 (52681 votes)