CLOUMN: ‘Heist can’t hold up the plot
A couple of years ago, a bunch of old drinking buddies and I decided to get together for a reunion. But this time we were a few years older and most of us had quit drinking. The result was an attempt at recreating old times without the capriciousness of youth and the enabling power of alcohol. It was boring. And in the end we found ourselves in a bar drinking fruit juice and reminiscing about old times. We never got together again after that night. The magic was gone. Watching this film, I couldn’t help but think back to that weekend with my friends and the disappointment that came when we discovered that, try as we might, we couldn’t bring back the good old days; neither could Heist, a film that has a decidedly retro feel. From the opening credits, I was struck with a sense that I had taken a step back 25 years. I was reminded of the old cops and robbers films that showed stills of the characters during the opening credits. The characters all had names like Rocky, Frank and Tommy. The characters in Heist were no different. Their names were Joe, Mickey, Bobby, Jimmy, Fran and Pinky. The soundtrack to the film sounded like it had been lifted straight from an episode of ChiPs. And there was something about the camera work that made everything seem low quality, like the movie had been filmed using antiquated equipment. Just like they were in the old days, the thieves in Heist were so slick they spent most of their time conning each other and very little time actually stealing anything. But when they did, it was interesting to watch. Director David Mamet went to great lengths to show the technical aspects associated with the robberies. The planning, deception and complicated getaways were all showcased in elaborate detail. And the lingo used by the characters sounded like something out of a pulp fiction novel. Still, with all this retro style and attention to detail, the characters left much to be desired. The film stars Gene Hackman as Joe Moore, an aging pro who decides to retire after getting caught on camera during a jewelry store robbery. Hackman has done this kind of film before in The French Connection and Bonnie and Clyde. It also stars Danny DeVito as Mickey Bergman, the moneyman who is trying to keep Hackman’s character from going into retirement. Despite the catchy (sometimes confusing) lingo and the complicated plot, the characters in Heist were surprisingly boring to watch. It felt like Mamet, who also wrote the script, used them as place settings upon which he could serve up the story. Everything they did had a routine, mechanical feel, as if they were painting by numbers. This was especially evident in the character of Fran, played by the sultry Rebecca Pidgeon. Fran should have been the spice in an otherwise male-dominated picture, but instead she was nothing but a pretty face from which spouted a tiresome stream of one-liners. Heist holds its own as an action/intrigue film, but there are some problems with the plot and definitely some problems with the characters, which at times are just downright boring to watch. Still, there is something unique about a film with such a retro flavor and if you’re looking for something different – something with a few twists and turns in the storyline – this film almost does the job.
Grade: C+