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The Hot Rock
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The Hot Rock (1972) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   1,856 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Peter Yates
Writers:
Donald E. Westlake (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Hot Rock on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 January 1972 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Comedy | Crime more
Tagline:
How many times does it take to steal the same diamond? more
Plot:
Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it... full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Writer Donald E. Westlake dies, aged 75
 (From digitalspy. 2 January 2009, 3:40 PM, PST)

Mystery Writer Westlake Dies
 (From WENN. 2 January 2009, 4:08 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Another Great Movie Missing from the Video Shelves more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Redford ... Dortmunder

George Segal ... Kelp
Ron Leibman ... Murch
Paul Sand ... Greenberg
Moses Gunn ... Dr. Amusa
William Redfield ... Lt. Hoover
Topo Swope ... Sis
Charlotte Rae ... Ma Murch
Graham Jarvis ... Warden (as Graham P. Jarvis)
Harry Bellaver ... Rollo the Bartender
Seth Allen ... Happy Hippie

Robert Levine ... Cop at Police Station
Lee Wallace ... Dr. Strauss
Robert Weil ... Albert
Lynne Gordon ... Miasmo
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
How to Steal a Diamond (UK) (informal title)
How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons (UK)
more
Runtime:
101 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Iceland:16 | UK:U | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the Dortmunder novels by Donald Westlake, Murch always steals cars owned by medical doctors. In the movie, the license plates of the stolen cars have the letters "MD" as part of the plate number. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the yellow Mustang crashes in to the side of the museum, a cable can be seen attached to the car. more
Quotes:
Dortmunder: It's good, and it's bad. There's a guaranteed return, and that's good. But the guarantor is Amusa, and Amusa's a rookie, and that's bad. But it's an easily transportable object, and that's good. Only it's in a rotten position in the museum, 30 steps to the quickest exit...
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
References The French Connection (1971) more
Soundtrack:
When You Believe more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful:-
Another Great Movie Missing from the Video Shelves, 8 August 1999
Author: H Lime-2 from Hicksville, NY

This film is taken from one of a series of books by Donald E. Westlake about John Dortmunder & his various cronies who try to pull off big capers but never quite succeed. Anyone who likes this movie should try picking up the novel it's based on.

If, as other posters have written, Robert Redford has prevented release of this movie on video then that's a shame since this is a very funny & enjoyable crime caper film with some good actors & good New York City locations. Recently, it has been on Cinemax (which I don't have) a couple times so maybe that is a prelude to a future video re-release.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Hot Rock (1972)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ron Liebman stole film! Aujouret
Steve McQueen Cameo? Alvy Singer
Six years to build? buckaroobanzai50
Is it just me or there's a Quincy Jones' cameo? emersoncf
ron liebman kmck2002
Christopher Guest nova4-1
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