A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Heist (2001)

Original theatrical release: 2001

Details:

Gene Hackman

Delroy Lindo

Sam Rockwell

Rebecca Pidgeon

Danny DeVito

Ricky Jay

Written and directed by: David Mamet

Score: 1/2

The Review: A caper flick with a few big names and many more twists and turns, but since it has David Mamet at the helm, it has some grating undertones that might decrease its appeal. The fact that they're "all a bunch of crooks" need not normally be limiting, provided an interesting character comes to the fore, but the only one who really tugs the heartstrings is Rockwell's Jimmy Silk.

The movie starts off with a theft in progress, masterminded by Hackman, but his mug gets captured on camera and he thinks about running for the border. Only problem is, he's being blackmailed into "one last job" -- sound familiar? But once you get around the hackneyed character and plot devices, the rest of the movie is a moderately interesting cascade of crime and circumstances.

(21-Sep-04)

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