Flawless (2007)

Director:

Michael Radford

Writer:

Edward Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He had a scheme. She had a motive.

Plot:

A crime/drama set in 1960 London, where a soon to retire janitor convinces a glass-ceiling constrained American executive to help him steal a handful of diamonds from their employer, the London Diamond Corporation. |

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Janitor | 1960s | Told In Flashback | London England

Cast

Demi Moore	...	Laura Quinn
Michael Caine	...	Mr. Hobbs
Lambert Wilson	...	Finch
Nathaniel Parker	...	Oliver 'Ollie' Ashtoncroft
Shaughan Seymour	...	Eaton
Nicholas Jones	...	Jameson
David Barras	...	Fenton
Joss Ackland	...	Sir Milton Kendrick Ashtoncroft
Silas Carson	...	Reece
Derren Nesbitt	...	Sir Clifton Sinclair
Rosalind March	...	Penelope
Kevan Willis	...	Lewis
Stanley Townsend	...	Henry
Jonathan Aris	...	J.M. Boyle
Ben Righton	...	Bryan

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

108 min | Germany:100 min (European Film Market)

Country:

UK | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Ireland:PG | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:12A | Iceland:L | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Magnolia Pictures

Trivia:

Edward Anderson wrote the script with Michael Caine in mind and he was always his first choice for the part of Hobbs.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr. Hobbs and Ms. Quinn are first visiting in her office, she is smoking a cigarette. With each shot the length of her cigarette changes from short to long back to short and then to medium.

Quotes:

Laura Quinn: How'd you do it, Mr. Hobbs? How did you get them out?
Mr. Hobbs: [ignoring her question] Do you know what the hardest substance in the world is?
Laura Quinn: [ignoring his reply] And who's really behind this?
Mr. Hobbs: A Diamond. You rub it with a cloth, it lets off a charge. You put in water, it comes up dry. It's only enemy is another diamond.

Movie Connections:

Features The League of Gentlemen (1960)

Soundtrack:

The Merry Widow Waltz

gem of a heist movie

If you are looking for car chases, kidnappings, and violence- you won't like this little gem (can't resist the pun) of a heist movie. Instead you have a clever plot that unwinds in small and subtle bits, like a trail of bread crumbs. Just when you think you have it figured out, another quiet twist sets your theories spinning again.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat, not because you are afraid of the next gun fight or bomb blast (there are none) but because you care about the characters and what happens to them. The casting is perfect, with Moore as the smart, strong, but emotionally stoic diamond manager; and Caine as the simple janitor with a brilliant plan. It was refreshing to have the "relationship" between the male and female lead not be a romantic one- there are so many more dimensions to human interactions.

While this movie is appropriate for the whole family, it may be too subtle to hold the interest of younger audiences. Also its themes- a woman in a man's world, career disappointment, mourning a lost love- are not themes that children relate to. A movie my boyfriend and I both enjoyed.