Tockinit not horrible nor great

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

SimonJack "Heist" is a mystery crime film with more twists than an Alpine road or a roller coaster. Indeed, at times one may seem to be on a roller coaster. The ride is wild and uncertain. Danny DeVito's Mickey Bergman is lacking in substance, to wit, the quote most identified with him. "Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money" about sums up his intellectual level and capacity. It's difficult to believe that this real dumb-head could out-finagle anyone. Gene Hackman does a tremendous job as the tired Joe Moore. Things just haven't gone his way. But some viewers (finger pointing at me) are lulled into underestimating Joe's deep cleverness. So, the ending is a very pleasing surprise. This is a crude and rough film, and maybe too overly complicated. But the picture of the poor crook trying to make it to retirement with a nest egg is played so well by Hackman, that it earns more stars than it would otherwise as a crime action flick.

Leofwine_draca One thing I can't stand are cynical critics who no longer take joy in the simple delights of cinema. Sadly, most critics were unfairly harsh with David Mamet's HEIST, another addition to the recent wave of "heist" movies currently doing the rounds at the local cinemas and video shops (others include OCEAN'S 11, DECEPTION, and THE SCORE). Despite the hackneyed storyline, the film offers much reward to viewers prepared to sit through it. For a start there's the witty, almost comedic script which focuses on wordplay and fleshes out characters to a point where realism is at an all time high. Then there's the plot, which twists and turns so many times with double, even triple crosses, that you can never quite guess what will happen next. One casualty as a result of these twists is that some of the situations seem a little unbelievable and there are one or two obvious holes in the plot, but these are easy to dismiss as inconsequential when there's so much else to enjoy. Watching a film with this much attention to detail and intelligence in the scripting and direction is a delight and a rare treat in modern cinema.The casting is also excellent with uniformly good performances. Of course, the older, veteran performers are light-years ahead of their younger counterparts. Leading the way is Gene Hackman who seems thirty years younger in the part, more evidence that this underrated actor is a force to be reckoned with. I believe Hackman is past seventy these days but still going strong; his acting here is as good as ever and his sympathetic criminal makes the film worth watching. His foil is Danny DeVito, a long way from his earlier 'comedy' roles in the likes of TWINS, here playing a ruthless gangster with all of the loathsomeness he can fathom. Finally Delroy Lindo is on hand as a loyal aide, giving another of his brooding portrayals with some occasionally startling outbursts of violence. Ricky Jay has a small but sympathetic role whilst newcomer Sam Rockwell is suitably slimy as a creep.The various set-pieces are superbly staged and I love how the actual heists are planned down to the smallest detail (take for example the opening gamble, which is cinema at its best in my opinion). The plane robbery is also highly suspenseful and Mamet keeps tension running high throughout the film. The finale is a rewarding shoot-out which is superbly choreographed and graceful, and provides some fitting – not to mention hilarious – payoffs for some of the villainous characters. Just about everything is great about this movie. Although there are no really big surprises and some of the twists are obvious (the concluding twist is just a joke, really) for the most part this is gripping stuff. Watch it and see.

innerboyka David Mamet writes slick,psychologically dense drama. GlenGary GlenRoss, Redbelt, House of Games, etc. Heist is in the same vein as his other movies: complicated plots with even more complicated characters in them, in which nobody's motives are what they seem and nothing is as it appears. Slight spoiler The movie is about a robbery gone somewhat south. Gene Hackman, who is in charge of the crew, has to do another assignment for a crooked low-life played beautifully by Danny Devito (they should have a separate Oscars category for him called "Sarcasm"). Crosses, double crosses, and triple crosses ensue, laced with the cool witty dialogue and psychological insights for which Mamet is so well known. The casting is perfect: everyone is spot on although I thought the character that played Jimmy Silk was a bit thin. The ending will stay with you, and as Gene Hackman drives away you'll realize that he really "isn't a man who ties his shoes w/o a backup plan." It is the type of movie you almost need to see twice and even then you'll wonder who knew what and who did what intentionally.

Spikeopath Heist is written and directed by David Mamet. It stars Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebbecca Pidgeon and Ricky Jay. Music is by Theodore Shapiro and cinematography by Robert Elswit. Joe Moore (Hackman) and his small band of thieves are "coerced" into taking on one last big job by their shifty fence Mickey Bergman (DeVito). But when Bergman's nephew Jimmy Silk (Rockwell) is sent along on the heist with them, it could prove to be a recipe for disaster?The "one last job" theme is a familiar plot device in many a crime and noir picture, but as Mamet proves here, it can still remain fresh if given its own sheen. Divisive amongst Mamet's fans and seen as a lesser light in the director's neo-noir output, Heist improves greatly upon a second viewing. In fact it holds up as a clinically executed piece of noirish cinema, it's smart, crafty and laced with essence of cool.You're a piece of work!I came all the way from China in a matchbox.Structured around twists and tricks, where nothing is ever as it seems - including the wonderfully ambiguous finale - Heist positively thrives on the snap, crackle and pop of Mamet's dialogue, dialogue that comes trickling off the tongues of characters whose loyalties/dis-loyalties are never 100% certain. Quite often what is being said is in clipped format, where the meaning is different to what is actually being said, while visual exchanges, also, sometimes mean more than it appears at first glance. Make no bones about it, this is no ordinary caper movie, it's labyrinthine in plotting and the director toys with the conventions of the formula.My MOFO is so cool when sheep go to bed they count him!Visually Mamet and DOP Elswit keep the colours smooth, but they do throw in some interesting angles and use smoky lenses to accentuate the possibility of cloudy means and motives. Acting performances are mostly excellent. Hackman underplays it perfectly as a world weary crim who may or may not be one step ahead of the game? Lindo is muscular and cool, Jay a stoic side-kick, DeVito slimy and Pidgeon (Mamet's wife) provides layers as the fulcrum femme. Only real disappointment comes with Rockwell as the poisonous adder in the thieves nest. A few years away from becoming the great actor he is now, Rockwell here lacks a dangerous dynamism, a raw sexuality to really make the integral character work to its potential.Elsewhere there's flaws, such as the key heist involving an aeroplane that stretches credibility to breaking point; a shame since the opening robbery that introduces us to the characters is brilliantly constructed, and the big "shoot-out" scene lacks the energy to really raise the pulse; but even within that scene is a great moment as DeVito's Mickey Bergman, in amongst the flying bullets, shouts out the question: "why can't we just talk?", why indeed? You see, in Mamet's badly under valued neo-noir, talk is everything. Beautifully so. 8/10