The
Hot Rock of this 1972 comedy-caper is a priceless diamond that is known as the Sahara Stone and is temporarily on display in a Brooklyn Museum. It is owned by one
African Nation while the Representative Dr. Amusa of another African
Nation believes it belongs to his Nation and sets about to recruit
master thieves to steal it back and return it to its original home,
apparently the jewel has been stolen back and forth for generations.
The
heist goes off, and then it becomes a matter of stealing this diamond
again and again, in a comedy of errors the crime becomes a perpetual
crime until Dortmunder conceives his most daring scheme to either get
that damn diamond or as he says, it gets me!
The
story takes place in New York City and the most interesting aspect of
this film that never gets talked about is the fact that the Twin
Towers, the original World Trade Center is seen in this film while
still under construction, just before its completion and from a
helicopter view you get to see ground level from the top of those
towers. That alone makes this movie one worth watching.
The
film is not without errors, in a few scenes there may be issues with authenticity, and continuity, if you really want to nit pick, but this
is light hearted comedy, fluff 'n stuff. Not to be taken too
seriously, and with that said, this film is an excellent feature film
for family entertainment. Don't fret the small stuff, go with the flow Joe...ya know what I mean.
Cast
- Robert Redford - Dortmunder
- George Segal - Kelp
- Topo Swope - Sis
- Ron Leibman - Murch
- Paul Sand - Greenberg
- Moses Gunn - Dr. Amusa
- Zero Mostel - Abe Greenberg
- Christopher Guest - Policeman
- Graham Jarvis - Warden
- Lynne Gordon - Miasmo
- Charlotte Rae - Ma Murch
- Harry Bellaver - Rollo the Bartender
- Seth Allen – Stoner thief
- Graham Jarvis - Warden
Release Date: January 26, 1972
Running Time: 105 min.
You'll
find it on Netflix and Amazon, so check it out.
I like this review. I saw this movie when it came on television in the late '70s. I didn't remember the title, or the movie, for that matter, until I started reading your review. Definitely worth watching again after 40 years, for the great cast, as well as the aforementioned construction on the twin towers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts and commenting, it's very much appreciated, and I couldn't agree more with you about the cast. They are all great. It's a very fun film to see.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, very informative! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this movie, but it sounds like a lot of fun. I'll check it out! Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDelete