COLUMN: ‘Heist’ can’t hold up the plot

How infatuated with the perfect crime is the general public? Well, according to Hollywood, it is extremely interested in it or at least interested enough for movie companies to continue to invest millions of dollars into movies based on bank robberies, jewel heists and the newest twist, casinos.

This year alone movies like Bandits, Don’t Say a Word, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, The Score and Swordfish have used the perfect crime theme as the foundation of their plot and the soon-to-be released Ocean’s Eleven looks to be another.

But with spin after spin of the same old thing in new clothing, people seemed to still be going. The problem with these types of movies can be perfectly told with the recent Kevin Costner flop 3,000 Miles to Graceland. This movie had huge potential, with a crew of Elvis impersonating casino robbers, the dialogue and humor could have made the movie alone, but instead, it started off with a creative and imaginative beginning and then spent the rest of the movie trying to top itself.

The new movie Heist, by writer/director David Mamet (Hannibal, Wag the Dog) is yet another theft movie that begins strong and then spends the rest of the movie trying to impress the audience.

Gene Hackman (Under Suspicion, Enemy of the State) plays Joe Moore, a fast-thinking expert thief trying to retire and sail away into the sunset with his wife, Fran, played by Rebecca Pidgeon (Catastrophe, The Winslow Boy).

Danny DeVito (Drowning Mona, The Man on the Moon) plays Bergman, Moore’s fence that forces him to make a final take, even though he was caught on camera during his last and final heist.

Other characters in this film were played by Delroy Lindo (Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Cider House Rules), Sam Rockwell (Charlies Angels, Galaxy Quest) and Ricky Jay (Mystery Men, Tomorrow Never Dies).

In the end, Heist’s downfall was not its actors or even the dialogue that is filled with terms and phrases no one would know unless they were a jewel thief, but it was in the continual twist of plot that left me more let down than surprised and aching for some kind of resolution.

Heist is a ho-hum excuse for a suspense/thriller that only seemed to be successful at stealing the money out of my pocket under the guise of entertainment.

Grade: C-

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