This is a Resurfaced review written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Heist

Rating

Director

David Mamet

Screenplay

David Mamet

Length

1h 49m

Starring

Gene Hackman, Danny Devito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Patti Lupone

MPAA Rating

R

Review

A retiring jewel thief comes back for one last job, attempting to get out of the business to retired and set sail for foreign lands. “The Heist” follows him as he tries to go straight forever.

Gene Hackman stars as Joe Moore, a long time thief whose set up numerous difficult and astounding heists coming away with millions of dollars in goods. He’s done just about everything and with his new girlfriend Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon), he’s decided to get out of the racket and sail away from his life into a new one.

When the chance for one last job, to help make enough money to retire, Joe gets aboard with his fellow “usual suspects,” Bobby (Delroy Lindo) and Pinky (Ricky Jay). However, to make sure it goes right, their employer, Bergman (Danny DeVito), wants to send newbie Jimmy (Sam Rockwell) along.

The film’s characters play like they were part of Backstabbers Anonymous as everyone is trying to sucker someone else, which eventually leads to some surprise twists and a few not-so-surprising ones.

“The Heist” marks David Mamet’s latest directing and writing effort for the big screen. With films like “The Spanish Prisoner,” Mamet has established himself as a capable director and a terrific writer who can take surprising twists and give them understanding. Many directors attempt similar feats, but many lack the flair he possesses. Unfortunately, “Heist” isn’t one of his best. Too many guessable outcomes are apparent and while the performers are all capable, none of them capture the grit that made Steve Martin so terrific in “Prisoner.”

Hackman certainly gives the film his all and is the best of the cast, but he’s been funnier and grittier in earlier films and we find nothing new here. DeVito, likewise, plays a loathsome character with the best of them, but with equal or better performances in his career, it’s hard to say he stands out here. Jay and Lindo play terrific sidekicks and while Jay does a better job than Lindo, their multi-faceted performances are more part of the background than the overall canvas.

The only negative thing to say about a performance in this film is in regards to Pidgeon who never captures the imagination nor amazes the audiences. Her performance is placid and unemotional, not allowing the viewer to find sympathy in her character.

The rest of the film is set in the modern time period and the technical merits lie solely in its editing and photography. Neither of these two elements are outstanding, but neither are bad. The cinematography does what it needs to do; staying out of the way for the audience to focus on the necessities while the editing sets a suitable pace and never takes the viewer out of its medium.

“The Heist” is an enjoyable film that tries to be slicker than it is. It approaches a threshhold where the audience is excited and anticipating the next turn, but like a roller coaster with too many loops, the viewer eventually gets sick of the ad nauseum plot twists and doesn’t care when the final twist comes.

Review Written

April 25, 2002