It's a send-up of heist movies a la
Ocean's Eleven, so you can expect many, many moments of pure awesome!
- The Chase Scene that starts the movie is a succession of Establishing Character Moments that clearly show the Adaptational Badass status of the gang, with Wolf commenting on each of their skills:
- Mr. Snake is a master of safe-cracking. After effortlessly robbing the bank with Mr. Wolf, throughout the chase, he hardly notices the action going on around him, completely focused on cracking the safe.
Mr. Wolf: Serpentine safe-cracking machine! Imagine
Houdini, but with no arms.
- Ms. Tarantula is as much the queen of hackers as her male book counterpart. Her introduction has her Hack the Traffic Lights to give Mr. Wolf's car a clear path, then turn them red again to cause pileups at every intersection, slowing the cops down. Jumping into the car, she casually tells Mr. Wolf she took over the police dispatch, blurred their satellite images, and grounded their helicopter.
Mr. Wolf: Our in-house hacker, our pocket search engine, our traveling tech wizard!
- Mr. Shark is an amazing Master of Disguise. He's introduced disguised as a construction worker, guiding a crane carrying portable toilets. The moment the gang's car passes through the construction site, he has the crane drop the toilets, causing the police cars to crash into them.
Mr. Wolf: Apex predator of the thousand faces! His greatest trick: stealing the Mona Lisa
disguised as The Mona Lisa! Dig that!
- Mr. Piranha causes one hell of a pile-up with the cop cars, proving he's a Pint-Sized Powerhouse and a crack at parkour. A flashback shows him effortlessly curbstomping six thugs in a dark alley.
Mr. Wolf: He's a loose cannon with a short fuse, willing to scrap with anyone or anything. He's brave! He's fearless! ... Oh, who am I kidding, he's crazy.
- How does Mr. Wolf show off his Badass Driver credentials? By downright taunting the cops right in front of the precinct!
Mr. Snake: Er... (
hurriedly closes the car's door)
Mr. Piranha: Are you crazy?!
Mr. Wolf: What? I just wanted a longer car chase. (
to the audience) It's the best part.
- He gets to show them off even further towards the end of the chase. There are two waves of police cars, one in front and one behind, both closing in rapidly. Mr. Wolf floors it, then uses the car's emergency brake to do an impossibly tight turn and drive down a flight of stairs, leaving both waves of police cars to crash into each other while the gang lands on the other side of town, unscathed.
Mr. Wolf: Yeah, we may be bad, but we're so good at it.
- The Golden Dolphin heist. If it hadn't been for Marmalade's manipulations, the Bad Guys would have pulled it off.
- The entire plan leading up to grabbing the Golden Dolphin itself, as Wolf describes it to the gang, goes off exactly as intended, without a single hiccup or complication that hadn't been foreseen. Wolf even has free time to pickpocket guests and still doesn't get caught. It's only when Wolf comments on how smooth things are going that the WPSST is revealed, and the gang's skills are put to a legitimate challenge.
- Mr. Snake shedding his gala disguise by molting out of his skin, sliding out of his own mouth. Gross yet efficient!
- Tarantula hacking the Wolf Piranha Snake Shark Tarantula (or "WPSST") Protection System, the last line of defense for the trophy. She is familiar with the security system and starts off cocky with the means to bypass it, but once she finds it was configured specifically to keep her out, she goes "Beast Mode" and brute forces her way in. Despite Chief Luggins banging on the door outside and Piranha's fart filling the room and essentially knockout gassing her, she keeps going and cracks it.
- So much has gone wrong; the WPSST is still armed, Piranha's fart has nearly knocked out Tarantula, Chief Luggins is about to enter the security office, and the stage curtain is starting to come up with Wolf and Snake still hanging from the vent over the Golden Dolphin. As Chief Luggins opens the security office door, Shark shows up just in time to distract her. Now with the air clear, Tarantula recovers and finishes the hack turning off the WPSST, and Wolf and Snake grab the Golden Dolphin and flee, mere seconds before the curtain is raised.
- Honestly, the existence of the WPSST system itself is a case of Fridge Awesome on the part of the Bad Guys, since it literally being named after them suggests that they're so successful at pulling of their heists that they got an entire security system designed solely for countering them. Extra awesome, because Tarantula has a USB with anti-WPSST protocol on it, that WPSST now has it's own protocol against, meaning that this is far from the first time the Bad Guys have dealt with this system.
- The gang does their victory walk through the crowd towards the main exit, over the sounds of Diane trying to calm the audience while not freaking out herself. Wolf wanted to humiliate the governor for badmouthing him and the gang, and very nearly succeeded.
- Even more so since the WPSST system and her conversation with "Mr Poodleton" made quite clear Diane knew they were going to try and pull something, but chose to let them make fools of themselves against her precautions. After they swipe it under her nose anyway and ruin the ceremony (making publically apparent she doesn't have their number like she bragged), Diane spends most of the scene afterwards sulking at Wolf, and makes clear to Marmalade that she's done playing around and wants them arrested before they cause anymore harm. This and Wolf turning her words around her in response makes apparent that, even now prior to both their Character Development, the Bad Guys have made Diane start to reanalyse her original view of them as worthless inferiors. Even at this point, they made a fool out of the Crimson Paw.
- Note that both Diane and Marmalade panic when they see the Golden Dolphin is gone, with Marmalade quickly having to save face and improvise to blow Wolf's cover. Both their plans nearly went horribly wrong because the Bad Guys got a lot further than they expected them to.
- Also counts as an understated awesome moment for Luggins, as soon as she realises the Golden Dolphin is stolen, she reveals her own precautions; and a enormous fleet of officers appear out of nowhere and surround the Bad Guys, leading to their immediate arrest. If not for Wolf luring Diane and (seemingly) Marmalade into his scheme, Luggins would have beat the Bad Guys then and there.
- Diane revealing she stole back her ring from Wolf without him even noticing, an early foreshadowing of her background as the Crimson Paw. This and her resulting talk with Wolf plays a large part in him making his fake Heel–Face Turn act legit (and thus making her the Spanner in the Works for Marmalade's big scheme).
- Wolf managing to rescue the cat is mainly a wholesome moment, but it's also this, as it's his Heroes' Frontier Step.
- The "Good Tonight" sequence. During the charity gala, Snake attempts to steal a code, but is accidentally grabbed by Chief Luggins. In a desperate bid to distract her, Piranha jumps onto the main stage, deploys all his singing talent, and improvises one hell of a catchy song that everyone swings on!
- The others deserve mention too. Snake and Shark join in at the music playing and do a pretty good job at it, while planting the devices Webs needs to take over the power grid, all done while in plain view without getting caught.
- Special mention goes to Wolf and Diane's dance, one of the film's most iconic moments. It's a perfectly choreographed dance that not only captures the dancing styles of Sam Rockwell and Zazie Beetz perfectly, but also encapsulate Wolf and Diane's characterization and growing bond throughout the film.
- At the very end of the dance, Diane lifts and twirls Wolf effortlessly. A surprising display of strength, and a good Foreshadowing of the reveal about her.
- The song triggers an outpouring of charitable donations from the audience. By the time the song's finished, they're just $8 shy of one billion dollars, all of which would go to schools, hospitals and orphanages across Los Angeles.
- While being pursued by countless police over the stolen meteorite, Wolf scrambles to grab a map, mark the location of his gang's hideout, and get it to Diane, all while evading capture. This one last-second act of goodness is what convinces Diane his reform is genuine and things aren't what they appear to be, kickstarting the movie's third act and instigating Marmalade's downfall.
- The Reveal of Marmalade's true nature, and of how he played Wolf like a fiddle. He anticipates his every move — he knew Wolf would make things personal and attempt to steal the Golden Dolphin, so he fakes the old lady act to plant the seed of Wolf knowing what being good feels like, and weaponizes that to foil the heist so the gang can be captured, all so he can instigate his plan to get the gang to the Gala so they'll take the fall for the theft of the meteorite. And it's not until Marmalade calls Wolf "such a good boy" that Wolf makes the connection.
- Diane Foxington being only one who saw through Marmalade’s Wounded Gazelle Gambit act. How? When Marmalade is interviewed about the Bad Guys' theft of the meteorite, he betrays character on the flip of the switch to smugly brag about "their" method of doing so. No wonder Diane catches onto him since he's pulling the same crap that nearly ruined her earlier.
- The introduction to the Crimson Paw. Things couldn't be worse for the gang; they're imprisoned on an inescapable island in the middle of the sea, their public goodwill is gone, and now Wolf and Snake are at each other's throats. Suddenly, a Ninja appears from the rafters above and effortlessly annihilates every cop thrown their way and throws them into a cell. Then the ninja steps towards the gang and reveals herself to be Diane. Wolf even gives her an introduction like he does for the gang in the opening chase.
The Bad Guys: (
Gasp!)
DIANE?! Mr. Piranha: But how do you know how to
do all that kick-kick punch-punch?!
Mr. Wolf: Wait a sec...
YOU'RE THE CRIMSON PAW?! The queen of cons! Acrobatic Swiss Army knife! Stole the Zumpango Diamond
twice! Once for profit, second time
just for fun! Never identified! Never caught!
Diane: Guess I'm still the best bad guy the world has ever seen. (
notices one of the guards managed to nick her sleeve) Ugh, at least I
used to be...
(
The alarm sounds, and an army of guards arrives and encircles the group. Diane leaps off Shark's back, the first blow is landed... And we immediately cut to the group on a boat, already far from the prison with explosions of water pluming up behind them.)
Diane: Nope, I'm still the best! Just like riding a stolen bicycle!
- Like Wolf, Diane could have had stolen the Golden Dolphin if she hadn't had a Heel Realization at the last second. Unlike Wolf, rather than steal it at the Good Samaritan Awards, her attempt was at an undisclosed location, possibly where it was manufactured; the name of the Good Samaritan award hadn't even been inscribed yet.
- There's something impressive about how rapidly Shark, Webs and Piranha have their Good Feels Good epiphany. Wolf's Heel–Face Turn was gradual, Snake needed it explained to him, and while Diane's was also quick, it was from guilt and self reflection during a heated moment. All these three had to do was see Snake doing somethng passively nice and they instantly assessed it as meaning they could change and got "the wag". Even more awesome with the hindsight that Wolf orchestrated this happening, he knew his guys were that reliable.
- Another villainous one for Marmalade, he not only captures Diane, the aforementioned undefeated Crimson Paw, pretty easily, but leaves her indignant by revealing he knew she was the Crimson Paw the whole time, revealing he figured so by noticing a cocky error she made; hiding the Zumpango Diamond on the diamond ring she wore and tested Wolf with. It is Marmalade that leads Diane, who has non-stop gloated and trash talked about being the absolute best and most invincible bad guy the world has ever seen since the movie started, to realise she is just another fallible peer to be knocked down the chain like Wolf.
- The remainder of the Bad Guys saving Wolf and Diane from the death trap. Piranha knocks out Cuddles with one of his deadly farts. Then for a moment it seems the group has gotten distracted and Diane begins having a panic attack, only for it to be revealed that Webs was shutting it down offscreen.
- The highway chase scene. With the meteor still sending out a signal, the mind-controlled guinea pigs are still driving the money trucks, which have split up between two different lanes on the highway. To stop them, Tarantula has to hack their navigational systems, but they need to plant multicircuit magnetic interceptors on every van first. Diane and Tarantula jump out of the car with a briefcase that turns into a motorcycle, going after one of the groups of trucks, and plant interceptors on them. Meanwhile, Shark rips off Wolf's car's roof and throws Piranha towards the vans to plant interceptors as well. All of this is set to the music of "Go" by The Chemical Brothers, interlaced with the flute melodies from the Crimson Paw's theme.
- When the gang tries to bring Snake back to his senses, Marmalade throws a horde of controlled guinea pigs at them, a tsunami of flesh that ravages the freeway in its efforts to kill our heroes. But Wolf proves once and for all what a Badass Driver he is by managing to stay one (short) step ahead of the mass.
- A few instants later, Marmalade throws Snake out of the chopper to force the gang to abandon the meteor. The gang scrambles towards him in a desperate rush, putting their lives on the line to save their comrade.
- The fully reunited gang is falling to their death, as they bemoan and cry on how it's going to end...
Mr. Wolf: Come on, guys.
Who said it was the end? (
cue Grappling-Hook Pistol, which FINALLY works correctly)
- The explosion of Mr. Wolf's car crashing at the bottom of the crater propels the gang, the cat, and the grappling hook sky high, and the hook latches onto the side of the highway, saving them. The explosion also causes Marmalade to stumble, and the mind control helmet is blown off his head and into the helicopter blades. Not only are the guinea pigs freed from his control, but now the helicopter is damaged and Marmalade can't make the clean escape he had hoped for, which becomes vital to his downfall minutes later.
- Diane tries to explain that the Bad Guys are innocent regarding the theft of the meteor, even though that'd mean confessing that she was the Crimson Paw and destroying her new life. The Bad Guys refuse to let her do it and surrender instead.
- Wolf and the Bad Guys turning themselves in willingly counts as the ultimate testament of their redemption's validity unto itself. Although Marmalade marred it earlier, the gang willingly surrendering feels less like a defeat and more like a more genuine indication of their character, an honest sense they want to do the right thing and take accountability for their previous actions.
- It's an especially big culmination of Mr. Wolf's development. As a criminal, he was an Attention Whore, loving the reactions his and the gang's antics got in the press and wanting to solidify their legacy. At first, he seems to focus on getting a lot of positive attention once he starts reforming. But, stopping Diane from turning herself in is a unsung heroic act; it's not flashy or exciting, but it means the world to someone he cares about.
- Note that, at the start of the film, while Diane's dedication to good was always genuine, she starts off rather pious and smug, deeming the Bad Guys gutless no-hopers despite her own criminal past and unwillingness to face accountability for it. That the Bad Guys covered for Diane, and the fact she was now willing to blow her cover just to ensure their vindication in the first place, shows them return the favour both physically and mentally. They were a positive influence to their Positive Friend Influence.
- Snake's master stroke. For a moment, it seems as though Marmalade will get away with everything he's done, and is about to bring the meteorite back to his compound. Then he applauds himself... and the meteorite's lights turn on and off, revealing it to be a decoy. Snake starts laughing, leading to a flashback sequence of what Snake was really up to all along: he faked his defection so he could sabotage Marmalade's plot from within.
- Knowing Wolf and the others would try to stop Marmalade's heist by stealing the meteorite, Snake commanded the brainwashed guinea pigs to spray paint the meteorite-shaped lamp to look like the real thing, then switch the two out. Once the gang stole the decoy and Marmalade gave chase, Snake put the real meteorite back and then overcharges it, making it explode, nuking his house in a blue Pillar of Light.
- When the shockwave hits, Snake sticks his tongue out in a Call-Back to what he told Wolf in the diner at the beginning, tasting the air and savoring the Bad Guys' victory while his smug grin becomes even more so.
- After all the sadistic, cruel trouble Marmalade put the Bad Guys through, his utterly annihilated expression is deliciously cathartic.
- And then there's the looks on the faces of Chief Huggins, Tiffany Fluffit, and the whole police force -- all of whom had spent the entire movie trashing the Bad Guys -- as they see the meteorite explode, exposing Marmalade as the true thief and proving that the Bad Guys WERE telling the truth. Their Stunned Silence speaks volumes .
- Then Wolf adds insult to injury by contemptuously patting Marmalade on the head, a silent "Cute effort, pal" reply to the latter's earlier Hannibal Lecture.
- As they're driven to jail (there's still all the crimes they did commit), the Bad Guys throw him the smuggest smirks ever. Comically enough, Piranha points to his rear and mouths "It's a butt" at him, a hilariously mocking cherry on top. Never have a group of career criminals being carried away in a police van looked so triumphant.
- And then karma decides rightfully that it's not enough yet. The Golden Dolphin, blown into the air by the blast, hits the lamp, which topples over onto Marmalade, making him drop the Zumpango Diamond he stole from Diane earlier, implicating him as the Crimson Paw. It's his turn to find out how being framed up feels.
- Points to Chief Luggins for identifying the Zumpango Diamond just by looking at it, proving that she's not just a heroic version of The Brute. Nor does she show any preferential treatment to Marmalade, hauling him off to the prison van despite his protests — whatever else she is, Chief Luggins seems to believe in equal justice.
- And as an extra touch of irony, the Golden Dolphin, the very symbol of goodness, is only given to true good Samaritans. Marmalade only received it at the charity gala because Mr. Wolf reformed for real, and didn't follow through on stealing it. The way it indirectly leads to his arrest calls back to Snake's warning about it earlier in the film: it breaks every criminal who touches it.
- What makes this even better is that earlier, Marmalade took the diamond and pocketed it. He basically ended up framing himself.
- It all happens on a live broadcast. Tiffany Fluffit, who spends most of the film parroting Marmalade's worldview on the news, is now the first to report on Marmalade's exposure and arrest, destroying what credibility he has left.
- To rub salt in Marmalade's wound, the last thing he sees as he's hauled off to S.U.C.M. is Diane, the real Crimson Paw, holding the Golden Dolphin and smugly waving goodbye.
- In the police car, while Snake gloats about how he kicked ass, Wolf one-ups him:
Mr. Wolf: That was pretty good there, Snakey.
Mr. Snake: "Good"? It was genius! Not only did I foil the pig, I got you to admit how much you care about me!
Mr. Wolf: Sure. Yeah. I just wonder about one little thing.
Mr. Snake: Oh, yeah? What's that, Wolf?
Mr. Snake: (smile fades as he goes from smug to flabbergasted) Wait... You... No!
Mr. Wolf: I knew you were good!
The Maraschino Ruby short
, a driving technique that is mainly used by professional racers, showing once again how formidable he is behind a wheel.