Rating: 
Summary: Profoundly Bad Movie
Review: This is one of the worst movies released in the last decade. Ridiculous dialogue, horrible screenplay, atrocious acting by all. This is the lamest double triple double cross plots ever written. I was shocked at how bad this movie is. Do not rent let alone buy this movie because you will be very disappointed. So sad too because Danny DeVito and Gene Hackman are two of my favorites. After watching this mess I will have to hesitate prior to committing my time to their future work.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Average
Review: this film reminded of alot of other movies from the 90's onward.Heavy on Language to override a thin plot&any reasoning why things are blowing up&seeming overacted&scripted.Gene Hackman is a Great Actor but aside from Delroy Lindo(a Very Underrated Actor I might add)the rest of the acting are just standing there knowing this film is finished&figured out right after the Airport take over.very average at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Mamet has given us better.
Review: Whether comedy, drama or suspense, David Mamet films are not just entertainment, they are high art. Truly, they can be looked at in both ways: either truly gripping perfect-for-munching-popcorn stories, or beautifully shot and executed works of sublime art. Rather, I should say that MOST of his films can be looked at in both ways. Although this film was well shot, directed and acted, the story line and tension that is a hallmark of Mamet's films just wasn't there. As the reviewer below points out, the cast of this film was great. Gene Hackman, Rebeccas Pidgeon (who DID seem more comfortable here than in other films), Sam Rockwell and Danny DeVito. All did a wonderful job. The problem was, the plot was not cohesive. I felt that when writing, Mamet must not have had any clue where he was going, giving this film many false stops and starts leading to a bumpy ride.
In brief, this film is about a worn-out conman deciding to pull one last job with his crew. Problem is, they brought in a new guy that might threaten to out-con the cons. So this is a story begging to be written and you'd think Mamet was the guy to do it, but instead, I got the sense that it was trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of films like 'The Usual Suspects' and 'Oceans 11'. Unfortunately, Mamet tried to emulate the 'shoptalk' and highbrow tension that led to those films success instead of staying true to his film noir type style. The film ends up becoming a cliche. So even though the performances and direction were stellar, the script and plot were mediocre.
Rating:
Summary: Good acting, but the plot is too complex and confusing
Review: Directed by David Mamet, this 2001 film is be fast paced and edgy with new surprises every minute. It's about a couple of career jewel thieves, Gene Hackman and Delroy Lindo, who plan and execute just one last caper before retirement. Naturally there are bumps along the road and enough twists and turns of the plot as Danny Devito, who pressures them into the job and insists they take his young nephew, Sam Rockwell, along. Hackman has a pretty young wife, Rebecca Pidgeon, and things soon get complicated. The plot moves fast, so fast in fact that I was constantly confused. And even though I know this is an escape movie and not supposed to be real, I found the details of the heist absolutely unbelievable, the few scenes of violence silly and unreal. However, I did find myself drawn into the story because of the interesting characters and the excellent acting by all. But in spite of that, I this film never rises above its genre.
Rating:
Summary: Superfluous racial epithets ruin any movie.
Review: As a suspense movie, I guess it was mildly entertaining: it had the criminals we applaud and the plot turns we hope for, sort of, but I can't understand, especially in today's culture, how Mamet (who knows a little something about racism) would think it witty to incorporate lines like "as long as a chinaman's name" or "cute as a Chinese baby" (when referring to something clearly NOT cute) into the already flimsy script. If you have to resort to lines like that, perhaps it's time to hang it up.
Rating: 
Summary: One Turn After Another
Review: A very good movie with many big names that presented one twist after another. By the end of it, you know another twist os coming, you just don't know where from. You can sense it and you have ideas but you don't know for sure. It only gets 4 stars since you can sense the twists, not totally unexpected. But still very good. It is a movie about a heist (obviously) and bad guys and badder guys, no good guys here. Double crossing and triple crossing and double crossing again. Other reviews have layed out the names and plot so I have narrowed my review to a very general view. But this movie should be watched, it is very entertaining. Lots of violence and swearing but no bed scenes. Not as good as the movie Heat, about the same type of "crew" but still very good.
Rating:
Summary: You'll Like It If You Like Gene Hackman
Review: It's a classic heist and con plot, but I didn't care for it. The intricacies of the heist and all the double-crossing are too complicated. Gene Hackman never impressed me. He can't act to save his life, and he has no film presence; even though, I know this flies in the face of the opinions of about 100 million other people.
Rating:
Summary: Hackman (& Mamet's Dialogue) Lifts This One To Above Average
Review: Though "Heist" would never likely to gain general popularity on box-office chart, it certainly will gather considerable amount of interst and respect from those who know a few things about film genre called "noir." Yes, this film is David Manet's homage to the 40s-50s thriller films like "The Asphalt Jungle" (with young MM) and just like Stanley Kubrik did with his excellent "The Killing," Manet created his own version of film noir with his keen eye for dialogues. Don't just watch it. Watch it with ear. Gene Hackman plays a veteran criminal Joe Moore, who thinks about retiring after his not-perfect job at a jewelrey store. But the shrewed fence Bergman (Danny DeVito) just won't allow that, refusing to give him and his team the cash on which Joe counted, and instead offers another job on a Swiss cargo airplane. Joe has no choice but to accept it, but not without some secret back-up plan that is to complicate matters more. The cast is unanimously good, but it is Gene Hackman that attracts you all the time, with his towering presence and menacing power. Other reliable cast such as Delroy Lindo or Sam Rockwell provide good acting, besides Ricky Jay and Rebecca Pidgeon (Mrs. Mamet). However, the most significant and valuable thing about "Heist" is that it is Mamet's film written with Mamet's sizzling pen -- so, you get lots of dialogues that you are never likely to hear elsewhere. One example is quoted below (I hope I heard it right).... A fatally wounded man to Gene Hackman who shot him: "D'you wanna hear my last word?" To which Hackman replies: "I just did." BANG! There are many other instances of these cool lines. Violent and energetic. This is Manet-ism, isn't it? As far as the story goes, the film gives too many twists, I am afraid, and the "actions" are always kept at a low-key intentionally, so don't try to seek for regular Hollywood actioners' thrills. It is a noir a la Manet, and as such it can be enjoyed. My material at hand tells that the costume design of Rebecca Pidgeon's character Fran is based on that of Jean Seberg in Godard's "Breathless" (not to be confused with Richard Gere remake, please). Certainly, her short hair cut reminds us of that masterpiece of French new wave. But Godard's film is also another homage to American film noirs like Nicholas Ray, isn't it? Well, that's complicated.
Rating:
Summary: Who's Double-Crossing Who?
Review: At this time, the heist film is as cliché as the most basic western. That's a bad thing when all your twists, no matter how clever are anticipated. And even when you can't guess the exact twist, you expect one. With the element of surprise removed, the film that's left feels half as accomplished. David Mamet's film HEIST suffers from that, especially if you've seen other crime-films of his like HOUSE OF GAMES or THE SPANISH PRISONER. To build on the expectations even more, this heist film is titled THE HEIST. Gene Hackman is Joe, an aging thief with his eye on retirement who chooses his friends only as careful as his enemies so as not to get trapped. And with Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay and Danny DeVito in his first degree of separation we know that you can't just trust everyone. Again, that is the films greatest flaw. The viewer doesn't want to trust anyone no matter how hard the director tries to mislead. Even so, Mamet pulls out a couple nice transactions and some of the dialogue is Mametized fun. The DVD has a sufficient widescreen transfer as well as a good audio transfer. The film is entertaining but it might be a good idea to check out HOUSE OF GAMES instead. So, who you gonna trust?
Rating:
Summary: Sorry David - Its one of the worst....
Review: Without going into an unnecessarily verbose explanation, this is quite simply one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. The plot is twisted to the point of silliness, the dialogue is stilted and unrealistic and the casting is questionable (people kept laughing at Danny De Vito's character - and he wasn't being funny!). The action packed shootem-up climax at the harbour had the whole cinema laughing it was so ridiculous and the ending brought applause for the fact we could all go home. Enough said.
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