Heist | Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito | Brilliant. Ignore the detractors. They don't get it.

Heist | Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito | A good one..

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Heist

	Heist Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito Warner Home Video, 2002 average customer review:based on 87 reviews view larger image
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Gene Hackman plays the veteran ringleader of a gang of theives (Delroy Lindo, Ricky Jay and Rebecca Pigeon as Hackman's youngish wife) that pulls off complex heists for a despicable fence (Danny DeVito). After stiffing the gang on a jewelry robbery, DeVito forces the gang to go after a Swiss gold shipment and to use his son (Sam Rockwell) in the crime. Mistrust runs rampant as double-crosses threaten the split-second operation.

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Brilliant. Ignore the detractors. They don't get it.

When ratings for this film are averaged, the result is always mediocre. Why? Because people either absolutely love this film, or hate it. Well, if you're head's in the oven and your feet are in the freezer, on average you're quite comfortable (in between). What I find to be the case, however, is that people who do not like this film typically don't get it. Not only do they miss the intricate plot twists, they do not appreciate the world that Mamet is immersing us in. The dialogue in this movie is rife with Raymond Chandleresque simile. "Cute as a pale full of kittens." (Contrast this with Chandler's crack, "Cute as a washtub.")

Mamet loves magic. He loves sleight of hand, and many of his movies have the effect of a magic trick. He uses distraction, just like a magician, and--just like a magician--he does not explain himself. And thank God for that. Mamet actually treats his audience as though their IQ is bigger than their waste line, and far too few filmmakers today are willing to do this. Mamet is able to do so because he funds his own movies by doing rewrites and screenplays for big studios (for instance, he rewrote Ronin under a pseudonym).

This movie rocks, plain and simple. Seeing Gene Hackman--one of the greatest actors in history--in a David Mamet film is quite a sight to behold. Mamet's vintage dialogue, as delivered by Hackman is, well, gold. Mamet regular Ricky Jay almost steals the show as Pinky. Jay, if you don't know, is in real life one of the greatest sleight of hand artists in the world and is also a world-renowned expert on con artists. He can throw a regular playing card into a watermelon from across a large room. He can also hurl words about with equal dexterity.

Yes, I agree with Ebert. The line, "Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money!" is about the funniest line I've ever heard. I also really like the line, "...had he had another bible in front of his face, that man would be alive today." And I LOVE the following exchange:

"I hear you put a lot of milk into it, it lessens the chance of stomach distress."

"I can't be worrying about every little thing."

By the way (spoilers here), Hackman's character did not KNOW that his wife (who is really just a young con man groupie) would leave and double cross him. He was merely prepared for the possibility. This is evidenced in the line, "I wouldn't even tie my shoes without a backup plan."

That is also why he smiles at the end of the film, because he had thought of everything, and finds that satisfying. This has confused some people, including Roger Ebert, who loves this movie. (By the way, take the shoe-tying line together with the exchange quoted above--pretty cool.)

Another point that I agree with Ebert on is that the gun fight in this film is amazing. Why? Because it looks REAL. Variety chastised this film because the gun fight wasn't "stylized enough." That means, "didn't look fake enough." I much prefer this, or the gun fight in Copland, to any music video-looking nonsense, as in Shoot' Em Up or any of John Woo's "bullet ballets." Do yourself a favor and watch Heist, more than once or twice. It's better than The Spanish Prisoner, and in my opinion, is even better than House of Games.

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A good one..

I bought this movie because I only saw the ending while staying in a motel during a recent trip. I was going to rent it to see the WHOLE movie instead of just the ending, but the price was so good to buy that I didn't bother renting it. I like pretty nearly all of the Gene Hackman movies.

This is one of those movies that you are always a little bit behind because the plot has lots of twists and turns in it. Kind of like the old Mission Impossible TV series episodes. Lots of action, but a good story too.

Top notch crime thriller.....

Hackman is the pro thief who takes on the generic staple of The Last Big Score, but what could have been a tired exercise in clichandeacute;s becomes cool, sharp and sophisticated in director Mamet's hands. Plot, performances and direction are all top-notch, but Hackman's turn is the icing on the cake.

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Very good con fidence movie.

This one of my all time greats.The twists and turns will keep you guessing.The ending is awesome.

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