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Heist
on DVD (2001)
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Brief synopsis of Heist
Written and directed by David Mamet, HEIST is a crime thriller that follows aging master thief Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) as he plans one last robbery before literally sailing off into the sunset. What seems like the perfect heist gets complicated, however, when Joe's "business" partner, Bergman (Danny DeVito), insists that his shifty nephew, Jimmy Silk (Sam Rockwell), join the crew--consisting of Joe's young wife, Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon), and longtime associates Bobby Blane (Delroy Lindo) and Don "Pinky" Pincus (Ricky Jay). A tense battle of wits and wills ensues, leading to plenty of twists and turns before the grand finale.
HEIST works wonderfully as a fast-paced, slight-of-hand caper flick. By focusing on dialogue over violence, Mamet allows his excellent script and remarkable cast to shine. Hackman (who seems incapable of giving a bad performance) and Lindo are particularly outstanding and carry the film as deftly as their characters plot their crime. Although the one-last-robbery tale has been told hundreds of times before, it's rarely been told better than this.
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Critics Reviews
Radio Times
After the lightweight Hollywood satire State and Main, writer/director David Mamet cranks up the suspense with his crack at a genre picture: the one-last-job heist. Gene Hackman is the boat-building master thief planning retirement with moll Rebecca Pidgeon while his method of escape waits in the harbour. Typically, caper organiser Danny DeVito foists nervy nephew Sam Rockwell on Hackman's regular crew and the seemingly infinite double-crosses start rolling from there. As ever, Mamet's overcooked dialogue crackles, especially when delivered by Hackman, DeVito and fellow thief Delroy Lindo, and his eye for plot detail is acute. If there is a weak link in this otherwise gripping, intelligent and patient tale, it's the climactic shoot-out where a more skilful action director than Mamet was required. Prime stuff, if easier to second guess than the superior Spanish Prisoner.
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