Rating: 
Summary: The Real Score
Review: David Mamet films routinely attract diverse and talented actors who are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with one of the most distinctive and respected artists in the world. Starting with the superb The Spanish Prisoner, David Mamet has gone about the business of quietly becoming one of the very best writer/directors working in Hollywood. The Winslow Boy, State & Main and now Heist make it 4 for 4 and with each film it seems that Mr. Mamet is becoming more and more confident with the camera and cinematic technique. The script itself is a faithful model of the genre tweaked with Mamet's unique dialogue. And while DeVito and the great Ricky Jay are blessed with some sweet zingers, this is the first time where it seems a little stilted and tired. It still ranks as a top drawer script, especially when compared to the depressingly dull typing that usually passes for genre writing, but occassionally, with Hackman and Lindo, it breaks the spell of the movie. Which is in NO way meant to denigrate the terrific work done by those two great actors. They bring an emotional heft to the story that is a pleasure to watch. Rebecca Pidgeon is a unique actress who manages the difficult trick of being brainy, sexy, aloof and intriguing all at the same time. She has been unfairly maligned by some critics to the point of libel and it is their loss because she is a true talent and a breath of fresh air when it comes to movie actresses. Her work in State & Main was one of last year's most overlooked great performances and she expertly pitches her performance here to maximize the tension and keep the audience guessing. My only quibble is that it is hard to buy her ditching Hackman for Sam Rockwell.
Rating: 
Summary: Heist doesn't live up to its hype
Review: After eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD I found it frustrating and disappointing. Danny DeVito frequently loses me when he crosses the line between comedy and unfunny violence. This movie got off to a good start -- I liked the camaraderie of the "gang" and, as always, Gene Hackman held my interest from the start. About halfway through the film it suddenly felt as if a different hand was doing the writing and directing -- characters started acting out of character, the plot became riddled with loopholes, and toward the end of the film a lot of completely unnecessary violence took over where the plot left off. What had started out as an "Ocean's 11" type heist film, with classy actors and tension relieved by humor, became a sort of "Die Hard Meets Rambo". Yes, the twist at the end was clever, but also completely expected. The characters behaved in ways that made no sense at all based on their previous history, so at the end I felt like saying "What the heck?" and feeling I had just wasted a couple hours of my time. If you want a movie with some good twists, get "Sleuth" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Run after the gold
Review: A thriller that never ends thickening the plot to a somewhat sickening level. There is always an extra-solution, an extra-development to the plan ? and the solution that comes next is never the last. In the end we cannot know the real outcome because a door is maybe open, or half open, and yet it is not quite there. One thing is sure, the gold is navigating from one place to the next and then to another to end up in the hands of those who deserve it. But is it the end ? We cannot say. And why should those who get the gold in the end deserve it ? We cannot tell. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic, cerebral entertainment
Review: This has definitely got to be one of the top films I have seen in the past year. I normally don't get interested in seeing movies that glorify crime or make the hero of the story someone who weilds a gun and steals things that don't belong to them, but this movie surpassed my expectations. I am a fan of Gene Hackman, and I really enjoyed the entire cast, all of whom were aptly cast for this film... but the best actors, casting and story isn't enough if all the things aren't tied together well by the director. Mamet should be proud. The film is forever dated as being pre-Sept. 11 as the big heist of the film takes place at an airport, but if your memory of how things were before 9/11 aren't too foggy already, you'll appreciate that this was a well conceived and even plausible plot. The story assumes that the viewer is intelligent and does not insult logic or waste your time. There were a few plot twists I anticipated, but far more that I did not expect. Some gun play and sexually suggestive scenes, but the real draw to this film at the cerebral level... this film will keep you enthralled as you try to figure out who is honest, who is a betrayer and who knows what's going on. You will be surprised many times during this film. The language is at gutter level and simply is not suitable for kids... but this is an otherwise fantastic motion picture.
Rating:
Summary: A Crime Classic
Review: Unfortunately, HEIST, one of the best films in the crime genre, isn't better known and liked precisely because it is so intelligent and depends on characterization and dialogue for its power rather than on violence and special effects. HEIST revolves around an aging master thief, Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) who decides to retire when he gets "burned," i.e., gets caught on videotape while pulling a job. When Joe meets with his eccentric boss, Mickey (played to perfection by Danny DeVito), however, Mickey talks Joe and his crew into pulling one more job...this time in Switzerland. And, to make sure Joes goes along with what he wants, Mickey refuses to pay Joe until the Swiss job is complete. Joe and his crew have no choice but to agree to Mickey's demands, one of which is that his nephew, Jimmy, join the heist. Mamet has set the stage for twists and turns and crosses and double crosses and triple crosses and he certainly delivers. This is an intelligent film that keeps the viewer a little off balance, but not so much that he gets confused. HEIST is a slower-paced crime film that depends on the interaction among its characters for its success. Danny DeVito does a wonderful job playing a greedy "bad guy" and he's so convincing he manages to steal more than one scene. Hackman, however, as the aging Joe, is the character who really pulls HEIST together and defines it. This is truly "his" film and he makes the best of it. Anyone who's ever studied creative writing of any kind knows that "good" dialogue is usually transparent; it is conspicuous by its inconspicuousness. Mamet, however, is different. He's edgy and his dialogue defines his work in more ways than one. This is true, for the most part, in HEIST, although there were a few places when I thought a phrase was a bit clumsy or flat. HEIST probably will never get the large audience it deserves, but that's okay. It has won the critical acclaim it deserves. If you're looking for mindless entertainment, better give HEIST a pass. This is, above all, a quirky character study and it's really only for the intelligent viewer.
Rating: 
Summary: just not good
Review: this movie sucks. ending is predictable. the line about being as quiet as an ant pissing on cotton was ALMOST good. Reservoir Dogs--now there's a heist film!
Rating:
Summary: Just Another Heist Movie
Review: "Heist" is, well, an heist movie like so many others. This one goes completely by the book and is uninspired at all levels. Gene Hackman gives a standart, average performance as the burglar who starts having problems with his mates. This is a "who fools who?" picture, it has some required though predictable twists at the end and the character motivations remain unclear. In fact, the characters themselves remain unclear, since they don`t speak all that much and the dialogue is poor. Acclaimed director David Mamet glues scene after scene with little creativity, so most of them turn to be boring and lifeless. This just seems like a weak episode of some late-night cable b-tv series. Dull, unsurprising and shallow, one to avoid.
Rating:
Summary: A DVD zone SCRATCH YOUR HEAD
Review: If you're looking for an action movie with a lot of noise and a bunch of heroes with no brains, skip David Mamet's HEIST. It will disappoint you. But if you like movies with a point of view, movies you can rediscover every two or three years like a good book, buy this DVD which deserves to stay in any movie lover's library. Nothing is gratuitous in HEIST, every scene has a meaning the viewer is asked to understand. So, apart of enjoying the story told by David Mamet, I've spent a lot of time, during the movie, wondering WHY the director has chosen not to show certain scenes that would have been obligatory with another director, WHY the movie is literally invaded by all kind of pipes from the first to the last scene, WHY Gene Hackman is smiling at the end of the movie and so on. I admit it, I simply love the films that make me think, the films that keep me intellectually active. Such movies are hard to find nowadays so let's cherish them when we have this opportunity. Too bad though that the DVD presents no special extras. I would have greatly appreciated a Mamet's interview.
Rating: 
Summary: A Few Good Scenes And Dialogue...
Review: ...But overall this is a clunker mainly due to Mamet's slow pacing. Hackman gives one of his best performances and Delroy Lindo is excellent in a supporting role. I also enjoyed Ricky Jay a whole lot but he is always good (i.e. Boogie Nights, narrator of Magnolia). The major problem with this film is that the pacing is much too slow for a film of this type. A "heist" flick should not simply plod along from scene to scene. I was also surprised at how boringly photographed the film was considering it was shot by PTA's DP Robert Elswit who I think also shot one of the recent Bond films so there is absolutely no excuse for this film to feel slow at any time.
Rating:
Summary: Dialogue as Lame as a Bucketful of Ants
Review: Mamet's movies are usually pretty dialogue-heavy, full of twists and turns, and fairly macho. Heist was all of that, but I still came away disappointed. The dialogue was awkward and contrived at times, with klunkers like "quiet as an ant pissing on cotton" and "cute as a bucket full of kittens." All right already with the lame similes. The relationships were almost believable, until the end. I'm afraid the end was not believable, nor was it satisfying. I guess I thought this would be an Ocean's 11 sort of caper, but it was a little grittier than that, with all of the plot contortions, but none of the charm. It is not the sort of movie you would walk out on, but Mamet has done better. Try State and Main instead.
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