Stars: Gene Hackman, Danny De Vito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Patti Lupone

Director: David Mamet

Summary: A gang pull off a series of heists for a criminal but he then forces them to chase after a gold shipment. Twists and turns in the plot makes it difficult for anyone to trust anyone else...

Written and directed by David Mamet, HEIST is a crime thriller that follows aging master thief Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) as he plans one last robbery before literally sailing off into the sunset. What seems like the perfect heist gets complicated, however, when Joe's "business" partner, Bergman (Danny DeVito), insists that his shifty nephew, Jimmy Silk (Sam Rockwell), join the crew--consisting of Joe's young wife, Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon), and longtime associates Bobby Blane (Delroy Lindo) and Don "Pinky" Pincus (Ricky Jay). A tense battle of wits and wills ensues, leading to plenty of twists and turns before the grand finale.
HEIST works wonderfully as a fast-paced, slight-of-hand caper flick. By focusing on dialogue over violence, Mamet allows his excellent script and remarkable cast to shine. Hackman (who seems incapable of giving a bad performance) and Lindo are particularly outstanding and carry the film as deftly as their characters plot their crime. Although the one-last-robbery tale has been told hundreds of times before, it's rarely been told better than this.

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Like a famous DIY product, Heistdoes exactly what it says on the box--no less and certainly no more--but is an enjoyable crime drama nonetheless. The story is a familiar one with ageing criminal (Hackman's Joe Moore) determined to pull off one last job before retiring. The usual sub-plots that accompany such a theme are all there (those in whose interest it is for him to continue, the realisation of growing old, the impact of the decision on those around him) and, to be honest, Heistoffers us very little that hasn't been seen before. It is, however, still a hugely watchable movie. Hackman may be sleepwalking through the role but he is still capable of dominating a screen in a way few of his contemporaries have been able to emulate. Delroy Lindo is superb as main foil Bobby, certainly more convincing than Rebecca Pidgeon's pouting wife Fran and Danny De Vito's overplayed crime boss. As with all such movies (Soderbergh's Ocean's Elevenbeing a prime example), the real joy comes in the planning and execution of the heist itself and the conflict between the prime movers. Heistcertainly has more than its fair share of twists and turns and is full of bluff, deception and double-crossing, keeping the viewer more than a little hooked right to the end. No work of genius, then, but certainly worth a look.

On the DVD:Heiston disc contains nothing here to get particularly excited about, aside from the interactive menu and theatrical trailer. Picture and sound quality are good, although there is no option to change the audio settings. Unimpressive extras are limited to a perfunctory list of main cast members.--Phil Udell

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Trailer
Subtitles:	Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish
Year:	2001
Release Date:	May 27, 2002
Runtime:	110 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 021321
Keywords:	General, Wide, Screen, Heist, Drama
Genre:	Drama