Review of Heist (2001) by Stuart K — 30 Dec 2012

Written and directed by David Mamet, this is a smart, clever and exciting robbery thriller which manages to pull the rug out from under it's viewer more than once. While the film doesn't add anything new to this well worn genre, it's fun to see what Mamet is able to do with it.

It's got a brilliant cast, all sparring off one another, and just when you thought you've seen one twist, there's another one to come. Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) leads a gang of professional thieves, which also consist of Bobby Blane (Delroy Lindo), Don "Pinky" Pincus (Ricky Jay) and Joe's wife Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon), after one heist leaves Joe exposed, he decides to retire, but he is convinced by his scheming middleman Mickey Bergman (Danny DeVito) to take on one last job, which involves robbing a Swiss plane of it's cargo of gold bullion.

Bergman also insists that his nephew Jimmy Silk (Sam Rockwell) is part of the team. Joe reluctantly agrees, even though he doesn't trust Joe, but the heist seemingly goes off without a hitch, bit it decends into a web of treble-crossing and deception.

You don't know if they're going to get away with it, or who will win in the end, but it is a clever and tricky thriller that is surprising and exciting. Mamet directs it well, and he puts some good dialogue into the proceedings as well, and it's a good tight ensemble.