2008 Woodie Awards
Two Views of "The Heist" I
Movie Review I
Rob Noirot
Issue date: 11/30/01 Section: Features
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In the twilight of his career, a professional thief decides to retire and escape to the sanctity of the Caribbean and savor the golden years of life, only to be sucked back into one last heist to make his last great score. Which of the following new movies am I describing: The Score or Heist? Both films have incredible ensemble casts, with Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando and Edward Norton headlining the former, and Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito starring in the latter. Both films are also typical capers, with countless tricks, turns and double-crossings driving their respective plots. However, it is in the brilliant writing and direction of David Mamet that makes Heist the better movie overall.
At the beginning of Heist, Joe Moore (Hackman) and his cohorts pull off a huge robbery of a jewelry store, during which, unfortunately, Moore's face is recorded on tape by a security camera that the group fails to successfully destroy. This first robbery scene is much more convincing than ones I have seen in other recent movies - Entrapment and Mission: Impossible come to mind - mostly due to its realistic feel. For example, crowbars and a kitchen egg timer are the main tools used to get these men through this heist.
Now that the cops have a photograph of him, Moore wants to get the hell out of Dodge by sailing to the Bahamas and living happily ever after with his beautiful, and half-his-age, wife Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon). However, Moore's boss, Mickey Bergman (DeVito) gives him an offer he can't refuse and forces Moore to make "one last heist" of gold from a Swiss Air flight. From here the plot unfolds with the obligatory twists and turns I mentioned earlier. Both the actors and the writing of Mamet really keep you guessing as to who is on whose side and whom Moore can really trust. Even after the last secret is revealed at the end of the movie, the audience is left wondering whether or not a last twist is left untold.
Mamet writes dialogue that is crisp, clear, to the point, and yet witty at the same time. After posing a cliche death scene question, "Do you want to hear my last words?", Mamet delivers in his typical fashion, the other character answering simply, "I just did." Watching that straightforward exchange late in the movie is reason enough for me to advise you to see it, and after watching the movie unfold entirely, I have reason enough to highly recommend it as well.
Rating: A-
Monsieur Noirot's Video Pick Of The Week: Another movie full of twists and turns is the brilliant The Game starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. Directed by David Fincher, this 1997 flick revolves around the rich and powerful Douglas watching his life (and sanity) fall apart while playing a "reality" game that his brother, Penn, gives him as a 48th birthday present. Watching Douglas fight his way through trying to figure out who he can really trust and the great final twist at the end make this a "love it or hate it" kind of movie – I loved it, and I think you will too.
At the beginning of Heist, Joe Moore (Hackman) and his cohorts pull off a huge robbery of a jewelry store, during which, unfortunately, Moore's face is recorded on tape by a security camera that the group fails to successfully destroy. This first robbery scene is much more convincing than ones I have seen in other recent movies - Entrapment and Mission: Impossible come to mind - mostly due to its realistic feel. For example, crowbars and a kitchen egg timer are the main tools used to get these men through this heist.
Now that the cops have a photograph of him, Moore wants to get the hell out of Dodge by sailing to the Bahamas and living happily ever after with his beautiful, and half-his-age, wife Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon). However, Moore's boss, Mickey Bergman (DeVito) gives him an offer he can't refuse and forces Moore to make "one last heist" of gold from a Swiss Air flight. From here the plot unfolds with the obligatory twists and turns I mentioned earlier. Both the actors and the writing of Mamet really keep you guessing as to who is on whose side and whom Moore can really trust. Even after the last secret is revealed at the end of the movie, the audience is left wondering whether or not a last twist is left untold.
Mamet writes dialogue that is crisp, clear, to the point, and yet witty at the same time. After posing a cliche death scene question, "Do you want to hear my last words?", Mamet delivers in his typical fashion, the other character answering simply, "I just did." Watching that straightforward exchange late in the movie is reason enough for me to advise you to see it, and after watching the movie unfold entirely, I have reason enough to highly recommend it as well.
Rating: A-
Monsieur Noirot's Video Pick Of The Week: Another movie full of twists and turns is the brilliant The Game starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. Directed by David Fincher, this 1997 flick revolves around the rich and powerful Douglas watching his life (and sanity) fall apart while playing a "reality" game that his brother, Penn, gives him as a 48th birthday present. Watching Douglas fight his way through trying to figure out who he can really trust and the great final twist at the end make this a "love it or hate it" kind of movie – I loved it, and I think you will too.