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Heist
review by Carrie Gorringe, 21 September
2001 26th
Toronto International Film Festival
Playwright/Director David Mamet
(State and Main) has now returned to familiar genre
territory, namely, the aging master thief sent out to make One Last
Score before flying (or, in this case, sailing) off to a
well-deserved retirement in the Tropics, well under the radar of law
enforcement. In Heist, Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) and his
beautiful young wife, Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon), have just pulled off a
major robbery and are ready to collect their share and sail off. Not
so fast, says their slimy fence, Bergman (Danny De Vito), you have
to do one more job for me, and include my dimwitted nephew, Jimmy
Silk (Sam Rockwell), in your team. Provided everything goes well,
I'll give you your share from both jobs and everyone can sail into
their respective sunsets. No cooperation, no shares. Joe's longtime
cohorts, Bobby Blaine (Delroy Lindo) and Pinky Pincus (Ricky Jay)
think this comes under the heading of A Really Bad Idea, but, out of
loyalty (not to mention a lack of choice), they stick by Joe. The
plan involves the hijacking a plane and stealing the gold while the
plane is still on the runway, a relatively simple situation for
criminals with their skill level. As usual in these cases, however
the loveliness of theory is intersected by the ugliness of
reality…How many unpredictable forces and incidents might lead to
failure?
Mamet, who directed and wrote the
screenplay, keeps everything moving briskly. His pacing is
immaculate: strong action sequences followed by The problems lie in
his dialogue, which, despite its trenchant analysis, always seems
somewhat forced and excessively arch; it's infinitely quotable, but
somewhat self-consciously so (when asked what makes the world go
around, Joe replies, in typical Mamet fashion, "Love…love of
gold is what makes the world go around."). The acting is so
flawless that the actors seem to just melt seamlessly into their
roles. Most notably, Pidgeon (a.k.a. Mrs. Mamet) is more relaxed and
sexy than she has been in previous roles with her Jean Seberg look
(no doubt a resemblance deliberately chosen by her husband to
emphasize her character's amoral streak). She is all subtly icy
insouciance and, despite her perky appearance, a convincing noir-ish
femme fatale; she makes you believe that she could sell anyone for a
nickel. Heist, on the other hand, is not an entertainment
sellout.
Click on the titles below to read the reviews.
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Written and
Directed by:
David Mamet
Starring:
Gene Hackman
Delroy Lindo
Rebecca Pidgeon
Danny DeVito
Ricky Jay
Sam Rockwell
Rated:
R - Restricted.
Under 17 requires
acompanying parent
or adult guardian.
FULL
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