Heist (2001)

The best thieves know that every job has a catch, and that the real trick is staying one step ahead of your own partners. David Mamet's "Heist," which he wrote and directed, is, like many of his films, witty, meticulously crafted and crackling with tense unease. If you've seen "The Spanish Prisoner" or "House of Games," you'll recognize his signature trick of a double-cross that turns into a triple- and then a quadruple-cross, and he sticks to the formula here. The terse, quotable wisecracks known as "Mametspeak" are on full display, too, with plenty of snappy, tough-guy lines about money and loyalty. What's new is the commanding charm of Gene Hackman. As Joe Moore, a veteran professional thief who wants to retire after being caught on a security camera during a jewelry store job, Hackman shows everyone, Mamet included, how it's done, making tough and clever look effortless. When his slippery fence, Mickey Bergman (Danny DeVito), refuses to pay up unless Joe pulls one last job, stealing a shipment of Swiss gold from a cargo plane, Joe reluctantly agrees, but Mickey insists that his hotheaded young nephew (Sam Rockwell) come along. Delroy Lindo, as Joe's loyal partner, Bobby, matches Hackman's cool and gives plenty back, and Ricky Jay and Rebecca Pidgeon, as Joe's clever wife, co-star. The script and supporting cast are solid, but this is entirely Hackman's show to steal.