Hiest came out in 2001, the same year as The Score, by Frank Oz. Where both films focus on big game robberies, Hiest is, slightly, more about the tension between the characters, were Score focuses on the innerworkings of a crime, the character dynamics being slightly secondary.
The distinction is important, because it makes Hiest the better film. In the first shot, we see Hackman and Lindo, about to pull a small time jewel caper. Love or gold, they talk about, what makes the world go 'round? "Love," says Hackman's Joe, "Love of gold."
Later, the young upstart played by Sam Rockwell says 'How long has [Joe] been married?" "How long is a Chinaman's name," says Joe's partner, to show his contempt for his young, unwanted associate.
This is the tone through Heist. These guys are as smart as they are ruthless. Joe won't steal a candy bar without three, elaborate backup plans and an escape route. He also does not use violence for the sake of it, but will kill without remorse when backed into a corner.
The amazing part about Heist is not the robbery, but watching how these characters navigate their environmet. There is always a conflict, a turn or a double cross, any one of which could land them life in prison. Yet these people have trained themselves to be uneffected by their emotions. They steal together, sometimes from each other, plan their crimes, and adapt to souring circumstances, substatuting fear with verbal wit and despir with criminal logic.
We get the sense these people are different: good people, no, but people who have the ability to slide through obsticles with an emotional immunity those in mainstreem society lack. The film displays this amply without making moral judgements.
I would never want to be like these charactors, and I certianly would not be the guy to screw with them. But it is amazing, simply amazing, to watch them work.
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Hackman great; quadruple crosses greater
Added 3/24/2009
Gene Hackman soars in this double-triple-quadruple cross theft caper. You've gotta love how he is leveraging his age into these perfect film roles, which are really very scarce in Hollywood. Lots of tension and suspense here. The David Mamet dialogue is always fun, too. The supporting cast may be the weakest link. You can't really take the dwarfish Danny DeVito too seriously as a bad guy. I'd never heard of this movie, but I recommend it.
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First-Rate Thriller
Added 1/28/2009
This first-rate gangster/caper thriller is filled with sharp, crackling dialogue from writer-director David Mamet and features a cutting edge cast, headed by Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Delroy Lindo.
Hackman plays a veteran thief who runs a top crew that seldom makes mistakes. When his fence (DeVito) stiffs him on his last job, Hackman, who had planned to retire, is forced to pull off one last heist, the hijacking of an air cargo plane carrying a fortune in Swiss gold.
Like with many of Mamet's films, nothing in HEIST is what it appears to be. "Double-cross" is the name of the game, thus delicious plot-twists and some sharp action sequences are in abundance right up until the final credits roll.
Sam Rockwell and Rebecca Pidgeon (Mrs. Mamet) co-star.
© Michael B. Druxman
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Got it figured out?? Think again!!
Added 9/20/2008
This movie has so many twists that you really can't miss any of it, or you will be missing alot!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed it all, and it really kept me guessing.
Gene Hackman was very clever, and surprising at every turn.
Although somewhat violent, if you like a good story, you will love this movie.
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Brilliant. Ignore the detractors. They don't get it.
Added 7/26/2008
When ratings for this film are averaged, the result is always mediocre. Why? Because people either absolutely love this film, or hate it. Well, if you're head's in the oven and your feet are in the freezer, on average you're quite comfortable (in between). What I find to be the case, however, is that people who do not like this film typically don't get it. Not only do they miss the intricate plot twists, they do not appreciate the world that Mamet is immersing us in. The dialogue in this movie is rife with Raymond Chandleresque simile. "Cute as a pale full of kittens." (Contrast this with Chandler's crack, "Cute as a washtub.")
Mamet loves magic. He loves sleight of hand, and many of his movies have the effect of a magic trick. He uses distraction, just like a magician, and--just like a magician--he does not explain himself. And thank God for that. Mamet actually treats his audience as though their IQ is bigger than their waste line, and far too few filmmakers today are willing to do this. Mamet is able to do so because he funds his own movies by doing rewrites and screenplays for big studios (for instance, he rewrote Ronin under a pseudonym).
This movie rocks, plain and simple. Seeing Gene Hackman--one of the greatest actors in history--in a David Mamet film is quite a sight to behold. Mamet's vintage dialogue, as delivered by Hackman is, well, gold. Mamet regular Ricky Jay almost steals the show as Pinky. Jay, if you don't know, is in real life one of the greatest sleight of hand artists in the world and is also a world-renowned expert on con artists. He can throw a regular playing card into a watermelon from across a large room. He can also hurl words about with equal dexterity.
Yes, I agree with Ebert. The line, "Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money!" is about the funniest line I've ever heard. I also really like the line, "...had he had another bible in front of his face, that man would be alive today." And I LOVE the following exchange:
"I hear you put a lot of milk into it, it lessens the chance of stomach distress."
"I can't be worrying about every little thing."
By the way (spoilers here), Hackman's character did not KNOW that his wife (who is really just a young con man groupie) would leave and double cross him. He was merely prepared for the possibility. This is evidenced in the line, "I wouldn't even tie my shoes without a backup plan."
That is also why he smiles at the end of the film, because he had thought of everything, and finds that satisfying. This has confused some people, including Roger Ebert, who loves this movie. (By the way, take the shoe-tying line together with the exchange quoted above--pretty cool.)
Another point that I agree with Ebert on is that the gun fight in this film is amazing. Why? Because it looks REAL. Variety chastised this film because the gun fight wasn't "stylized enough." That means, "didn't look fake enough." I much prefer this, or the gun fight in Copland, to any music video-looking nonsense, as in Shoot' Em Up or any of John Woo's "bullet ballets." Do yourself a favor and watch Heist, more than once or twice. It's better than The Spanish Prisoner, and in my opinion, is even better than House of Games.
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Hiest came out in 2001, the same year as The Score, by Frank Oz. Where both films focus on big game robberies, Hiest is, slightly, more about the tension between the characters, were Score focuses on the innerworkings of a crime, the character dynamics being slightly secondary.
The distinction is important, because it makes Hiest the better film. In the first shot, we see Hackman and Lindo, about to pull a small time jewel caper. Love or gold, they talk about, what makes the world go 'round? "Love," says Hackman's Joe, "Love of gold."
Later, the young upstart played by Sam Rockwell says 'How long has [Joe] been married?" "How long is a Chinaman's name," says Joe's partner, to show his contempt for his young, unwanted associate.
This is the tone through Heist. These guys are as smart as they are ruthless. Joe won't steal a candy bar without three, elaborate backup plans and an escape route. He also does not use violence for the sake of it, but will kill without remorse when backed into a corner.
The amazing part about Heist is not the robbery, but watching how these characters navigate their environmet. There is always a conflict, a turn or a double cross, any one of which could land them life in prison. Yet these people have trained themselves to be uneffected by their emotions. They steal together, sometimes from each other, plan their crimes, and adapt to souring circumstances, substatuting fear with verbal wit and despir with criminal logic.
We get the sense these people are different: good people, no, but people who have the ability to slide through obsticles with an emotional immunity those in mainstreem society lack. The film displays this amply without making moral judgements.
I would never want to be like these charactors, and I certianly would not be the guy to screw with them. But it is amazing, simply amazing, to watch them work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Hackman great; quadruple crosses greater
Added 3/24/2009
Gene Hackman soars in this double-triple-quadruple cross theft caper. You've gotta love how he is leveraging his age into these perfect film roles, which are really very scarce in Hollywood. Lots of tension and suspense here. The David Mamet dialogue is always fun, too. The supporting cast may be the weakest link. You can't really take the dwarfish Danny DeVito too seriously as a bad guy. I'd never heard of this movie, but I recommend it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
First-Rate Thriller
Added 1/28/2009
This first-rate gangster/caper thriller is filled with sharp, crackling dialogue from writer-director David Mamet and features a cutting edge cast, headed by Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Delroy Lindo.
Hackman plays a veteran thief who runs a top crew that seldom makes mistakes. When his fence (DeVito) stiffs him on his last job, Hackman, who had planned to retire, is forced to pull off one last heist, the hijacking of an air cargo plane carrying a fortune in Swiss gold.
Like with many of Mamet's films, nothing in HEIST is what it appears to be. "Double-cross" is the name of the game, thus delicious plot-twists and some sharp action sequences are in abundance right up until the final credits roll.
Sam Rockwell and Rebecca Pidgeon (Mrs. Mamet) co-star.
© Michael B. Druxman
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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