Theft at the movie theater
"Entrapment"
Overall Rating: ***
If the writers of "Entrapment" weren't thinking of "Topkapi," the studio's lawyers better. Slight exaggeration--"Entrapment" isn't a rip-off per se. It has enough differences, and 35 years since "Topkapi;" the filmmakers can most likely count on the public's short memory. Nonetheless, there are two very striking similarities. Both movies focus on jet-setting jewel/art thieves as the "heroes," and the opening scene of "Entrapment" is very reminiscent of the climactic scene of "Topkapi."
In the first scene of "Entrapment," we see a thief drop down from the roof of a skyscraper, break into an office, and steal a Rembrandt. Using all sorts of gadgets to drop to the correct floor, open the window, and deactivate the alarm--this mystery thief obviously commands great resources. Insurance investigator Gin Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) thinks immediately of one suspect--Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery). Gin quickly catches up with Mac in London; the question is whether she'll switch to his side for the big caper.
Sean Connery is charming as the arch-thief Mac; his performance isn't quite up to Henry Jones in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," but it's still good enough to make you root for his character--even though his character is a thief. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the real, pleasant surprise: she manages to keep pace with Connery, and keep the audience guessing where her real loyalties lie. Will Patton is also very good in a supporting part; despite being the only "good guy"--an insurance investigator whose loyalties are never in doubt--you still root against him. He makes his character--the "good guy villain" sleazy, while Connery and Zeta-Jones make their "bad guy heroes" charming and debonair; the combination works far better than most films that try the same trick.
The movie also keeps you interested. Surprisingly, this is mostly through plot. The whole movie keeps you wondering whether Gin and Mac will stick together for--much less pull off--their progressively larger thefts. Certainly they come close to getting caught more than once, adding suspense. Mac's castle, the numerous Bond-like gadgets they use to pull off the multi-million dollar thefts, and a couple of chase scenes here and there add some flash--but less than one would think based on the previews.
That's part of the problem. Everything is good enough, without being great. The stunts and special effects are impressive--but not nearly as impressive as "The Matrix," for example. The plot keeps you involved for the length of the movie, but when it's over, you quickly become uninvolved. The movie also feels very unoriginal. Part of this is not its fault--"Entrapment" has followed on the heels of three other caper films: "Payback," "Go," and "Goodbye Lover;" but it still has striking similarities to "Topkapi," and a few cliche scenes such as the one in every preview where Gin ducks under the laser beams. There is one novel aspect--the use of a year 2000 bug fix in the final theft--and maybe some of the unoriginality was deliberate (trying to make us feel we know the characters, homage to previous films, etc.)--but, personally, I think the writers are as shameless thieves as their heroes.
"Entrapment" is not a good family film. Although there is no nudity, and much less strong language or violence than one would expect from a PG-13 action film (though some of both), "Entrapment" also has a scene with drug use, and--of course--the heroes are thieves.
To give it due credit, "Entrapment" got me to "root for the bad guy," more than "Payback" did. It's fun and enjoyable for its length and you won't regret paying the price of admission (I didn't, but then, because the projector died about two thirds of the way through, I got to see if for free). If, however, you're saying "I'll catch it on video," with this is one, you probably won't--the truth is it isn't memorable enough.
Overall Rating: ***
If the writers of "Entrapment" weren't thinking of "Topkapi," the studio's lawyers better. Slight exaggeration--"Entrapment" isn't a rip-off per se. It has enough differences, and 35 years since "Topkapi;" the filmmakers can most likely count on the public's short memory. Nonetheless, there are two very striking similarities. Both movies focus on jet-setting jewel/art thieves as the "heroes," and the opening scene of "Entrapment" is very reminiscent of the climactic scene of "Topkapi."
In the first scene of "Entrapment," we see a thief drop down from the roof of a skyscraper, break into an office, and steal a Rembrandt. Using all sorts of gadgets to drop to the correct floor, open the window, and deactivate the alarm--this mystery thief obviously commands great resources. Insurance investigator Gin Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) thinks immediately of one suspect--Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery). Gin quickly catches up with Mac in London; the question is whether she'll switch to his side for the big caper.
Sean Connery is charming as the arch-thief Mac; his performance isn't quite up to Henry Jones in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," but it's still good enough to make you root for his character--even though his character is a thief. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the real, pleasant surprise: she manages to keep pace with Connery, and keep the audience guessing where her real loyalties lie. Will Patton is also very good in a supporting part; despite being the only "good guy"--an insurance investigator whose loyalties are never in doubt--you still root against him. He makes his character--the "good guy villain" sleazy, while Connery and Zeta-Jones make their "bad guy heroes" charming and debonair; the combination works far better than most films that try the same trick.
The movie also keeps you interested. Surprisingly, this is mostly through plot. The whole movie keeps you wondering whether Gin and Mac will stick together for--much less pull off--their progressively larger thefts. Certainly they come close to getting caught more than once, adding suspense. Mac's castle, the numerous Bond-like gadgets they use to pull off the multi-million dollar thefts, and a couple of chase scenes here and there add some flash--but less than one would think based on the previews.
That's part of the problem. Everything is good enough, without being great. The stunts and special effects are impressive--but not nearly as impressive as "The Matrix," for example. The plot keeps you involved for the length of the movie, but when it's over, you quickly become uninvolved. The movie also feels very unoriginal. Part of this is not its fault--"Entrapment" has followed on the heels of three other caper films: "Payback," "Go," and "Goodbye Lover;" but it still has striking similarities to "Topkapi," and a few cliche scenes such as the one in every preview where Gin ducks under the laser beams. There is one novel aspect--the use of a year 2000 bug fix in the final theft--and maybe some of the unoriginality was deliberate (trying to make us feel we know the characters, homage to previous films, etc.)--but, personally, I think the writers are as shameless thieves as their heroes.
"Entrapment" is not a good family film. Although there is no nudity, and much less strong language or violence than one would expect from a PG-13 action film (though some of both), "Entrapment" also has a scene with drug use, and--of course--the heroes are thieves.
To give it due credit, "Entrapment" got me to "root for the bad guy," more than "Payback" did. It's fun and enjoyable for its length and you won't regret paying the price of admission (I didn't, but then, because the projector died about two thirds of the way through, I got to see if for free). If, however, you're saying "I'll catch it on video," with this is one, you probably won't--the truth is it isn't memorable enough.
Title: "Entrapment"
Release date: April 30, 1999
MPAA rating: PG-13
Overall rating: ***
Aprox. run time: 113 min.
Director: Jon Amiel
Writer: Michael Hertzberg (story), Ronald Bass (story and screenplay), William Broyles Jr. (screenplay)
Stars: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/Entrap.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09
Labels: Movie review, ReviewsbyJohn
posted by John at 5/02/1999 03:57:00 AM
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