Heist (2001)

65% of critics liked it
(127 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(18,460 ratings)

Esteemed writer/director David Mamet fashioned this homage to the elegant, character-driven "tough guy" genre pictures of Warner Bros. in the 1930s and '40s, even using vintage scores in the soundtrack. Gene Hackman stars as Joe Moore, an accomplished thief whose career is jeopardized after he's… More Esteemed writer/director David Mamet fashioned this homage to the elegant, character-driven "tough guy" genre pictures of Warner Bros. in the 1930s and '40s, even using vintage scores in the soundtrack. Gene Hackman stars as Joe Moore, an accomplished thief whose career is jeopardized after he's caught on security cameras during a job. Broke, Joe and his associates Bobby (Delroy Lindo) and Pinky (Ricky Jay) are blackmailed by their longtime fence Bergman (Danny DeVito) into jacking Swiss gold bars from an airplane. As they plot the complicated score, Joe and his crew become suspicious of the relationship between Joe's young wife Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon) and Bergman's nephew Jimmy Silk (Sam Rockwell), who has been planted on the crew to keep an eye on them for his uncle. Betrayals and backstabbings are the order of the day as Joe gets closer to the payday of a lifetime. In an effort to reinforce the solid storytelling of classic crime dramas, Mamet eschewed the use of computers or high-tech gadgetry in the complicated plot. Heist (2001) co-stars Patti LuPone. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: David Mamet
Written By: David Mamet
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 9, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Mar 12, 2002
Studio: Warner Bros.

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
I couldn't believe any of it on any level, though it could be described as 'fun.'
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This cast is excellent. Heist, though, proves that enormously talented people can make a pretty lousy movie.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
The movie is super fun, even if some of its tricks seem to strain credulity.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
There's something offensive about how Mamet continues to win praise as a serious filmmaker with such a joyless picture, a picture that -- intentionally -- gives the audience so little.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A minor work by a major guy.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Once you pull away its layers and discount the occasional running, jumping and gunplay, is simply more of the same.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Captivating David Mamet movie for grownups.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
[Mamet] is a giant in several areas, but I'm not sure moviemaking is one of them.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Structured as a trick within a trick within a trick, Mamet's latest contribution to film noir is a mildly entertaining crimer that nonetheless exposes his strenuous efforts to outsmart the audience.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
This is a world not unlike superhero comics, only in this world the heroes have the superhuman ability to knock down buildings with a split-second comeback line.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Como em todo roteiro escrito por Mamet, os diálogos são excelentes e a trama é engenhosa - mas desta vez o excesso de reviravoltas acaba comprometendo o resultado final.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
The methodical planning of the caper is completely mesmerizing.
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy
Your typical heist film with a few improvements.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Heist is better than The Score, not because it is more surprising or the actorly turns by the principals better realized, but simply because it is better written and the direction is more fluid.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

A watchable Heist film, but not a particularly exciting one. The plot was full of little twists, but most of them predictable and for me this film brought nothing new to films sharing this theme.
Al S

It's pure dynamite. Sizzeling and exhilerating. A razor-sharp crime thriller. One of the best and smartest heist films ever made. Snaps and crackels with great suspense and action. awsome twist and turns all the way to the end. Terifficly written and well-crafted. A brilliant… More
It's pure dynamite. Sizzeling and exhilerating. A razor-sharp crime thriller. One of the best and smartest heist films ever made. Snaps and crackels with great suspense and action. awsome twist and turns all the way to the end. Terifficly written and well-crafted. A brilliant cast of actors. Gene Hackman has never been better. A cool, captivating and fantastic performance. Delroy Lindo is teriffic. Danny DeVito is explosive.
Curtis L

This was okay.
xGary X

Gene Hackman heads up an otherwise lacklustre cast in a heist movie about an ageing thief who is blackmailed into performing one last job. As hackneyed as that synopsis sounds, it doesn't quite sum up just HOW uninspired this all is. The dialogue is cliched and occasionally… More
Gene Hackman heads up an otherwise lacklustre cast in a heist movie about an ageing thief who is blackmailed into performing one last job. As hackneyed as that synopsis sounds, it doesn't quite sum up just HOW uninspired this all is. The dialogue is cliched and occasionally embarrassing, the plot implausible and lacking in humour, and all of it's so-called twists can be seen lumbering over the horizon from a mile away. Not completely awful, but in the end it's nothing more than 90 minutes of "So what?"
Aaron N

Jimmy: So, is he going to be cool? Pinky: My motherfucker is so cool, when he goes to bed, sheep count him. What's great about David Mamet movies is the dialog. Everyone speaks the same language, they are all in the moment, and they all no exactly what the other means, even… More
Jimmy: So, is he going to be cool? Pinky: My motherfucker is so cool, when he goes to bed, sheep count him. What's great about David Mamet movies is the dialog. Everyone speaks the same language, they are all in the moment, and they all no exactly what the other means, even when it becomes cryptic or metaphoric. Heist is appropriately slick because of the choice of actors and it a lot of fun to see everyone riff off of each other. Gene Hackman and Delroy Lindo star as the thieves who have to take that one last job before retiring. Danny De Vito is their mean spirited employer. Sam Rockwell and Ricky Jay also step into the game for added coolness. Bobby Blane: You know why the chicken crossed the road? Because the road crossed the chicken. Many twists, double and triple crosses unfold, and everything is played very cool. There is even a sweet and realistic gun fight towards the end. Enjoyable and played out like a 70s crime movie with slick Mamet dialog. Bergman: OK, you want to wrap it up? Or you want to just stand around here, try to guess my real name? Joe Moore: What is your real name? Bergman: Rumpelstiltskin. Joe Moore: What was it before you changed it?
Luke B

An intelligent and well scipted heist film, with interesting characters and some tense moments. It does however conform too much to all other heist thrillers and despite all the surprising twists along the way, the ending is ultimately predictable.
Curt C

Entertaining double-cross movie that is really held up by the superb cast.
Brian R

Good caper. I was surprised to see a much older Gene Hackman become such a powerful force. David Mamet's dialogue is in full gear as it was in his previous pictures and now he is ready to be a magician in "Heist". I like the way how the actually heist goes down and… More
Good caper. I was surprised to see a much older Gene Hackman become such a powerful force. David Mamet's dialogue is in full gear as it was in his previous pictures and now he is ready to be a magician in "Heist". I like the way how the actually heist goes down and maybe thieves in real life can actually pull off such an almost impossible feet. The cast is really good and I got to somewhat feel a connection as if the characters have been together for quite some time. There is a few minor flaws and the tone of the picture does feel like watching a TV drama but "Heist" isn't boring, it's actually intelligent. I like that.
Andre T

Heist is a 2001 crime film, written and directed by David Mamet, which stars Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, and Sam Rockwell.Joe Moore (Hackman) runs a ring of professional thieves, which includes Bobby Blane (Lindo), Don "Pinky" Pincus… More
Heist is a 2001 crime film, written and directed by David Mamet, which stars Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, and Sam Rockwell.Joe Moore (Hackman) runs a ring of professional thieves, which includes Bobby Blane (Lindo), Don "Pinky" Pincus (Jay) and Joe's much younger wife Fran (Pidgeon). During a daylight robbery of a New York City jewelry store, Joe's face is captured by a security camera. As both the picture and a witness can identify him, Joe chooses to retire from crime and plans to disappear on his sailboat with his wife, living off their share of the heist.Very predictable and cliche this is just a mediane movie, despite the elegant production and cast.
matt s

Not bad to see Hackman in peak form. God, he can carry a flick. The ending is kinda bleh, but it's a fun watch. Mamet still knows how to write good dialogue, but Hackman and Lindo are the sole reasons for watching. They outperform everyone, including a young Rockwell.
David S

A good solid movie but nothing special. Hackman is great (as is Lindo) but the twists start to get laboured towards the end. Not Mamet's best. Check out The Spanish Prisoner instead.
Miriam K

Not that good.