If you liked THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR you'll probably like THE HEIST. In fact the last act of TTCA seems to be lifted directly from this. As it was released on HBO domestically and only made theaters oversees, it's an overlooked gem of a movie. A project worth studying if you're a writer attempting a heist picture, along with RIFFIFI(French), THE HOT ROCK, THIEF, THE GETAWAY and a few others. It's tone is fun and smart.
This is not heavy fair and had a limited budget. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from Mann's HEAT, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It clearly falls under the cat & mouse category of heist projects as the hero attempts to simultaneously take down one last big score, win back the girl, and get revenge against his crooked ex-partner (Skerritt) who years earlier double crossed him, stole the girl and sent him to prison. The beauty of the film is everybody knows when and where our Hero is going to attempt his impossible score. They just don'
