The casting features a mix of stars including white male leads Chris Hemsworth as the thief and Mark Ruffalo as the detective, with Halle Berry as the disillusioned insurance broker/romantic interest and diverse supporting actors like those of Middle Eastern descent, which aligns organically with a modern Los Angeles setting without clashing against source material or historical context. There is no evidence of race- or gender-swapping from the book, where the core thief-detective dynamic is preserved, and the female broker role appears as a natural expansion.

Themes focus purely on personal redemption, heists, and tension, with reviews explicitly noting no social justice subtext and praising it as a crowd-pleasing entertainment without lectures on systemic issues or identity politics. Pre-release gripes targeted actor Mark Ruffalo's personal politics rather than film content, and post-release reception is solidly positive as a traditional genre exercise, free from activist messaging or 'go woke go broke' backlash.