Hey folks, Harry here. Now I'm kinda shaky on Massawyrm on the movies that he's shaky on... Below he added to that belief by being not so kind to SPANISH PRISONER and THE EDGE, but enjoying WE'RE NO ANGELS and WAG THE DOG. But then AMELIE didn't really gel for him either... Sigh... But I think I'm gonna agree with him on THE HEIST when I finally see it. I've heard from many people, who's taste in film syncs up right along side mine more often than naught. Here's Massa saying some sensible things between that hacking cough of his...
Hola all. Everyone's favorite Chain-smoking, Dr. Pepper swilling, indie schilling film geek here with a review of David Mamet's new film "Heist". Now it would appear to me that David Mimed set out to write and direct a 70's crime drama heist movie, because that's exactly what I saw tonight. Shot by shot, word for word, and note for note, this film oozed 70's coolness without the flare collars, wide ties or afros to distract you from the fact that what you are watching is something straight out of the 70's. There's brutal, uncinematic violence (I'll explain later), brutality against women, a slow burn pace that leads to the titles heist and of course, there's the aging criminals in it for one last piece of the action.
Now I must say upfront that I'm very shaky hand when it comes to Mamet. Several of my actor friends think I'm insane and revere him as a god, worshiping before their alters - the stage - clutching one of his books on acting method at all times, that they tell me are quite good. But as a film goer I've found some of his scripts to be absolutely beautiful works of fiction, while others just kind of fall to into the It-was-okay-but-I'd-never-really-watch-that-again category. Wag the Dog, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables. Brilliant. Every word of every film. Brilliant. The Spanish Prisoner, Ronin, The Edge. Not so great. Then there are those that I enjoyed, like We're No Angels and State and Main, but just couldn't swear to their brilliance.
Well, this film clearly belongs in the first category, with special exceptions. You see, being a 70's crime drama heist movie, it's impossible to do something that really hasn't been done. Doing so would negate it from being what it seems to want to be. So instead, this film perfectly reconstructs exactly what is needed for such a heist film and delivers it perfectly on every count. For all intents and purposes, this film is near-perfect.
Now for those of you thinking "Well, just because it's a heist movie, doesn't mean it supposed to be a 70's crime drama", relax. It is a 70's crime drama. And if Mamet didn't set out to make one, then he made on inadvertently. The shot structure and editing is spot on 70's. Every shot fits that era's mood and look. The violence (the afore mentioned uncinematic violence) looks like it was lifted out of every crime drama of that era ever made. Sudden gunshots. People hunched over behind crates. Guys getting kicked across the floor. No slow-mo action sequences. No quick cut violence. No zero-phase soliloquys (a gaming term for that moment where the hero has just enough time to have a conversation with his ally or to yell out a catch phrase before he wastes a bad guy.) It is simply harsh, brutal, sudden, unglorified violence. But not so much to make it an action film. Just enough to add the flavor of danger to the mix.
Then there's the soundtrack, a spot on representation of the 70's crime film soundtrack. No not the wah-guitar, porn sound of Shaft that most people associate with the 70's, but the keen, well orchestrated sound of the era. I swear it sounds like it was lifted straight out of one of those films (not that it was, just that it was so right on that it's too perfect not to have been; much kudos to the composer.
Then of course there's the pacing. This is a slow burn thriller with lots of development and the ever popular old thief's last job so he can run off with his young girlfriend shtick. But even that is excellently executed.
Hackman is great as always, turning in the role of the old thief with all the charm he can muster. I mean, what can you say about Hackman. The man's like pizza and sex: even when it's bad its still pretty good. Hackman just doesn't suck. Ever. And here he delivers the goods.
Then of course there's DeVito. Again, what can you say that hasn't been said a million times over. He's wonderful. Absolutely perfect as the heavy. Now I saw this tonight with one of my long time friends, Resident Weasel, and he displayed some trepidation (although I'm sure he doesn't know what that word means, nor could he pronounce it without tripping over it) about DeVito saying "But he's that funny short guy, trying to be tough. How good can he be?" Well, he's fantastic. Absolutely perfect as the ball busting boss demanding one more Job of Hackman before he sails off with his girl into the sunset. say what you will, but DeVito's no slouch. Aside from all the comedy, he's turned in some great roles in such films from Man in the Moon, The Big Kahuna and The Rainmaker all the way back to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. And all that aside, as a producer he's brought us some of the coolest movies of the last decade: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Out of Sight, Caveman's Valentine, ect. There's just no bashing the man, Drowning Mona and Screwed aside.
And then we have Sam Rockwell, playing DeVito's conniving, sleazy, slow witted nephew. A role that Rockwell has played perfectly in the past and does so again. This time, however, he out sleazes all of his old roles and presents a new level of grease so thick it almost bleeds off the screen. Again, excellent.
But the real stars of this film are Delroy Lindo and Ricky Jay. These are the roles of a lifetime for these two. You may not know their names, but you know their faces, I assure you. You'll recognize Ricky Jay as the cinematographer from Boogie Nights, the Publicist from Mystery Men and the narrator of Magnolia. But having heard that he was also an accomplished magician, I did some research to find out more about what he's done in that field Turns out the man can throw a playing card into the flesh of a watermelon! How fucking cool is that? Why the hell hasn't anyone demanded that he do that on film. He can throw cards at up to 90 miles an hour. That's just too cool for words. But as an actor, up until Heist, he hasn't really had anything sizable to match the charisma he has on screen. Well, then along came Heist. And he is great. He plays pinky, the smooth conman who runs support for Hackman's schemes. Perfection. He's just cool and lovable, the type of character that just helps add depth to a scene every time he's on the screen. That, and he says "Mother Fucker" so often, you'd swear Quentin Tarantino rewrote his dialog (all of which is sharp and perfectly delivered.) It's my hope that this film serves as a perfect springboard to see Ricky Jay on the screen more than we have. I need more of this guy. He's just too freaking cool.
And last, but certainly not least, we have Delroy Lindo, who owns this fucking movie. Now I've been a fan of Lindo's for some time. Bound by Honor, Broken Arrow, the angel in A Life Less Ordinary, Ransom, Cider House Rules, and more recently (i.e.: the last 3 weeks) The Last Castle and The One. He's always cool. Even in mediocre films like Gone in Sixty Seconds he's cool ("You so much as use an aerosol can in a manner other than directed...and I'll bust you.") Well here he steals the show. He simply owns this film. As Hackman's right hand man he pummels thugs, cons almost everyone and shows an immense amount of depth of character while doing it. Even when he is commanding situations you can see fear in his eyes, adrenaline running through his veins. He is everything he should be and more. This is one of those roles that I can compare to none other than Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction. Lindo just takes this supporting role and runs with it, often out classing the top notch talent he's in the scene with. Forget anything you think you know about Delroy Lindo and see him in this film. I guarantee he will knock your socks off.
Yes, Heist is a typical twisty turny crime drama with tons of misdirection and super clever criminals, but its a sharply written, brilliantly directed addition to the roster and is not to be missed by thriller fans and film geeks alike. A perfectly spent night at the movies. Great performances and perfect cohesion. What more can you ask for from this kind of film?
Until next time friends, smoke 'em if ya got 'em. I know I will.
