Heist

David Mamet has been talking this up as his homage to that perennial favourite, film noir. But as we should all know by now, you can't trust a word he says. In fact this movie belongs to a far more exclusive and readily identifiable sub-genre: the Mamet sting game. Hackman is a master cracksman persuaded by DeVito to go that job too far; Lindo and Jay are his expert team, and Mrs Mamet - Pidgeon - is totally miscast as the femme fatale who may or may not be Hackman's weakest link. Sure, you get the feeling Mamet could write this stuff before breakfast, and the only surprise on the home straight is how lazy it feels, but at least everyone's having fun - audience included - Mamet has finally learned how to direct action, and Hackman... 'He's so cool, when he goes to bed, sheep count him.'