Heist

Knowing the quality of Mamet's previous works, maybe I expected too much out of this one, but as it stands I just wasn't impressed by this film. Am I the only one who got bored during this movie? The characters were good except Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon). She is just there to deliver one-liners the whole time and provide sex appeal. I know her demeanor is quiet and conniving, but she just struts around waiting to make overly witty replies. The rest of the cast were excellent, Delroy Lindo outshined Hackman as his right-hand thug, Ricky Jay pulls off the calm and collected badass, Sam Rockwell delivers a good presence that you just hate, DeVito was awesome as the break-your-balls "bad" criminal and Hackman played his part well as he always does. The story bored me however. You knew what was going to happen before it happened and there were too many twists in the movie that they lost their affect. Twists are good when used sparingly and when used at the right time. I didn't like the timing of them in this movie or the overuse of them. It got boring because the characters always pull something out of their hat when you "least expect it." For me dialogue has to be two things, witty and believable. Now the dialogue in this film is witty, Mamet probably took a while to compile all these quotes into one movie, but it is too much. It is simply to much. All Rebecca Pidgeon says is these crafty responses and she engages no real conversation. As for believable, people don't speak like this. No one, not even the coolest cat in the world and half the time I am trying to figure out what the hell they mean. The plot is way too contrived, it is too much. Their is a backup plan, for a backup plan, for a backup plan, for a ... The scene on the runway was crap, impossible. Never would have happened. Too many "overly" perfect plans and too many twists make this plot boring to watch. Wait for the rental.

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source: Heist

It is a sad commentary to read the reviews previously submitted on this board on Heist. I must admit that having read same prior to actually viewing the picture, I may have anticipated too little from Mamet this time, BUT, this is a great motion picture! And I am the first to admit that Pidgeon is not high on my list, but, in my opinion, she played the part brilliantly. My only problem with Mamet, to date, is the film version of GGGR. The play was the best that I have ever seen, and Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky, Mike Nussbaum, JT Walsh and Jack Wallace, should never have been denied the opportunity to reprise their incredible performances for the likes off Pacino, Lemmon, and BALDWIN(!). To the cretins who disliked HEIST, do not waste your time on LAKEBOAT. To the apparent few who saw HEIST for the gem that it is, get LAKEBOAT ASAP (and get ready for the best Jack Wallace ever)!

This is a kind of old-fashioned cheating plot. You never know who's fooling who and if you think you know, you will be surprised the following minute. Gene Hackman is always Gene Hackman. Maybe he has done only two characters through his whole career (some would say one), but it's always nice watching his performance. But the one who is stealing this show is really Ricky Jay as Pinky. Pinky is by far the only one of the characters that you could possibly meet in real life. He's got complication, thinking, and a life, although criminal, that has formed him. Jay doesn't have many lines and is not the main character by far, but that man ought to have much bigger parts in the future.

With such wonderful actors this is a surprisingly disappointing movie. Hackman spend more time screaming then he does acting and the rest of the cast turn in a lackluster performance, The plot is lame and the back and forth of the doing, not doing the job is tiring. They leave many unanswered questions and many obvious flaws and stretches of reality that are hard to overlook.

Little bit of triteness, but I mean that in a nice way... Someone else mentioned that this movie was like "Cool Hand Luke". That's an apt description. It even has the character, Lucille, in the guise of Rebecca Pidgeon. You know, I'm not sure whether or not Fran really *was* Joe's wife or if she was, it was definitely not in the traditional sense. There was no real affection between them; she was just part of the team. The concept worked well. When all is said and done, I have difficulty figuring out whether this was a movie or a game of strategy. Just too cool for words! I'm in love with Pinky!!

Partners in crime try to outwit one another as they attempt to steal a gold shipment. The problem with this slick Mamet yarn is that it is too clever for its own good. There are so many twists and turns that the viewer does not trust anything that is happening, making it difficult to enjoy the ride. The characters all seem to be speaking in code. The heist scenes play out like an episode of the "Mission: Impossible" TV show. There are some funny lines ("quieter than an ant pissing on cotton"), however, and Hackman is always a pleasure to watch. DeVito, Lindo, and Jay are also good. Pigeon (Mrs. Mamet) is little more than eye candy and her relationship with Hackman is never believable.

In spite of some cracking dialogue, 'Heist' is less sophisticated than other thrillers of Mamet's such as 'House of Games' and 'The Spanish Prisoner', relying less on cool atmospherics and more on "action scenes" (i.e. gun battles). Also, in an age where (thanks in no small part to Mamet himself) the double-cross movie has become ever more popular, there appears to be a kind of inflation in the genre where each film has to out-do its predecessors in tricksiness, so that 'Heist' contains rather more twists than is strictly necessary. Overall, the effect is not dissimilar to 'Ocean's Eleven', although without that film's irritating star-worship. 'Heist' is always entertaining, and Rebecca Pidgeon does a sexy turn, but given Mamet's pedigree, its still disappointing: superior product, but in no way art.

A group of criminals plan the theft of Swiss gold from an airplane but there is a gradual breakdown of trust between the protagonists. Joe decides to quit his gang and a life of crime after he has been caught on CCTV during a jewel robbery. However, Mickey, the crime boss, requires Joe and his accomplices to complete one last robbery. The film is given an edge through the tension between Joe and Mickey and the lack of trust amongst the gang members. A well made film but nothing particularly new here. The performances and dialogue are perhaps a little too slick. the plot is perhaps more complex than it needs to be.