Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Joe Moore has a job he loves. He's a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman, reneges on the money he's owed, and his wife may be betraying him with the fence's young lieutenant. Moore and his partner, Bobby Blane, and their utility man, Pinky Pincus, find themselves broke, betrayed, and blackmailed. Moore is forced to commit his crew to do one last big job.
David Mamet's Heist is elevated primarily by its sharp, rhythmic dialogue and a strong ensemble cast — Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and Sam Rockwell all deliver committed performances that give the film real crackle. The plot is a fairly standard 'one last job' crime thriller, though Mamet's layered double-crosses and mordant wit lift it above the genre norm. Cinematography is workmanlike and functional without being distinctive. Novelty is moderate — it's recognizably a Mamet film in voice and construction, which gives it personality, but the heist framework itself is well-worn. The ending delivers satisfying twists consistent with Mamet's trademark sleight-of-hand, though not entirely surprising for seasoned genre viewers.