Frank Oz turns to a life of crime, approaching a very traditional heist-film from a dark angle, and though there's nothing new here, all is executed smoothly and with unflinching style. The gang's all there: The soft-spoken safe cracker on his last job (DeNiro), the hotshot youngster with some tricks up his sleeve (Norton), the love interest (Bassett, woefully underused), and a wise old crook with a head for trouble (Brando). Around the story's corners lurk a thug, a hacker, a systems engineer, a janitor, a sprinkling of guards and jazz musicians, and each is memorable.
There's some fun to be had watching these experts ply their illicit trades, but every second is played for tension. Fatal mistakes are always just a few inches or a few seconds away, and everyone seems appropriately nervous. Montreal looks lovely, and Oz leans heavily on its old world rather than the new. Architecture, antiques, and interior decorating frame everyone in an aire of sophistication that smoothes the blacker edges of their character.
On a more personal note, it was delightful to see a crime drama with so little violence. Normally these films have double-digit body counts and gallons of blood. Here the violence is almost entirely intellectual, and every action is cautious, chosen, and sure. Powerful without being showy. Film-makers take note.
There's some fun to be had watching these experts ply their illicit trades, but every second is played for tension. Fatal mistakes are always just a few inches or a few seconds away, and everyone seems appropriately nervous. Montreal looks lovely, and Oz leans heavily on its old world rather than the new. Architecture, antiques, and interior decorating frame everyone in an aire of sophistication that smoothes the blacker edges of their character.
On a more personal note, it was delightful to see a crime drama with so little violence. Normally these films have double-digit body counts and gallons of blood. Here the violence is almost entirely intellectual, and every action is cautious, chosen, and sure. Powerful without being showy. Film-makers take note.
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