Heist

Love makes the world go 'round... Love of Gold.

Jurassic Mark

SCORE: 3½ Stars

As the viewer of close to 3,000 films and a fan of the written word, I believe David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables, House of Games, Homicide, The Spanish Prisoner, Hoffa, State and Main, Oleanna, The Winslow Boy) is the greatest screenwriter in American history. Often he chooses to direct his projects (as he did for Heist). Still, for whatever reason, I wasn't that impressed by the preview for our movie. I needn't have worried.

Heist is well paced. The movie features two robberies. When the talented cast isn't thrown into action, they do the captivating "planning" that goes into a good caper. Heist is a how-to movie. It has plot twists. It reinvents the wheel as only Mamet can.

Did I mention the cast? Gene (enough said) Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon (Mamet's better half and sexier here with short hair and a trim body), Sam Rockwell (who impressed me in Galaxy Quest) and Mamet favorite Ricky Jay. 

The plot need not be mentioned because it would be an insult to describe Mamet's overall screenplay in terms of plots. 

With such admiration, why not four stars for Heist. I'm not sure I found the whole story believable. However, the tale is complex enough that I might not have thought it through completely. 

Heist is the movie that this year's The Score wanted to be. The Score had a similar premise with a top-notch cast (Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando and Angela Bassett). Compare the two films and notice why Heist is a much better picture.