It seems
like an awful lot of effort for $25,000 each. It must have gone a lot further
back in 1972. This is a heist film. Then another heist. Then another heist.
And yes another. All for the same rock. A precious diamond. Director Peter
Yates aims much more for charm and light comedy than he does for suspense.
A very different tack than his classic from a few years earlier, Bullitt.
It is built around a few off-beat characters who are all well-acted. Leading
them is Dortmunder played by Robert Redford. Dortmunder is the fictional
creation of Donald Westlake who featured him in 14 novels and 11 short stories;
The Hot Rock was the first in the series. Westlake under the name Richard
Stark also created Parker in 24 novels. The Hot Rock was originally going
to feature him, but as he wrote it, he realized this was not a Parker novel
and came up with a new character. I would say Parker has done better in films
- Point Blank, The Split. The Outfit, Payback, Parker, Play Dirty and a few
others than Dortmunder has. There have been a few other films based on his
novels, but this is the only one I have heard of.
Dortmunder is being released from prison
- again - and the warden tells him to go straight this time to which Dortmunder
replies, "that isn't who I am". He is picked up by his brother-in-law Kelp
(played by an exuberant antsy George Segal) who already has another job lined
up. An African (Moses Gunn) working for his country at the United Nations
wants them to steal a diamond that his nation cherishes. The payment will
be $100,000 - divided by four that they will need for the job. The diamond
is being exhibited in a well-guarded museum. They get a driver Murch (Ron
Liebman) and an explosive expert Greenberg (Paul Sand). They are all a little
kookie except Dortmunder who plays this completely straight - never showing
emotion no matter what goes wrong.
The details of the robbery from the museum
aren't very important - but what is important is that Greenberg is caught
after they have the diamond and he goes off to jail. After swallowing the
rock. This begins a series of break ins and break outs as they keep going
after the diamond. I am a big fan of the heist films of the 1960s and 70s
- they had big stars, charm, clever robberies and rarely resorted to violence.
Very unlike today's films. Redford and Segal were huge at the time and it
is easy to see why in this film. Redford so cool and charismatic while Segal
is a bundle of anxieties - a type that he was to use in many films. Zero
Mostel also shows up here as the father and lawyer of Greenberg and he is
terrific. I loved the ending.
