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Hello there, and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks, a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.
This week’s topic is heist, and I’m happy because I love, absolutely love heist films, especially when the sting is pulled off beautifully, and the story is full of twists, which is exactly what happens in my three picks for this week.
The Sting (1972)
Seeking revenge for his murdered partner, a young con man teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a mob boss. The story unfolds with several twists and ends wonderfully; the film is funny, engaging, features some great acting from Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and is one of the greatest heist films of all the times.
Jackie Brown (1997)
44 year old stewardess Jackie Brown gets caught with a gun dealer’s money, she is proposed a deal by the ATF to help them arrest the dealer in exchange of her freedom. She fears for her life, and teams up with bond businessperson Max Cherry to steal half a million dollar from said gun dealer. I am quite ashamed of myself because I’ve seen this film only last Saturday, but it’s a hell of a movie from Tarantino. Interesting dialogue and characters, brilliant storytelling, and weirdly it's not a graphic crime story. And there are Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Daniel Ocean combines an eleven-member team to rob three Las Vegas casinos, all owned by arrogant and ruthless Terry Benedict, Ocean’s arch nemesis. First of an average trilogy, this film is exciting, fast-paced and highly entertaining comedy heist. We got ironic dialogue, some great characters and all-star cast that does not disappoint.
I still need to see Jackie Brown. That's the only Tarantino movie I have left to see. I suck so much. lol. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of Tarantino and I've seen Jackie Brown a week ago for the first time. You've still got time :)
DeleteAdoro La stangata! Anche Ocean's Eleven mi é piaciuto anche se preferisco Twelve :)
ReplyDeleteTwelve non mi è piaciuto molto :(
DeleteThe Sting is a fantastic choice, I just gave it a re-watch last month after many years when it popped up on TCM and it really holds up. Not just wonderful acting across the board but amazing production design, great music and a solid story.
ReplyDeleteI love this version of Ocean's Eleven it's stylish with a terrific sense of fun, the original Rat Pack one had a good idea and a lousy execution. I think where the trilogy fell down was the very poor Oceans Twelve it bounced back somewhat with Ocean's Thirteen which while not as solid as the first was a huge improvement on the middle film.
I've yet to see Jackie Brown. My distaste for most Tarantino films has kept me at bay but it's always mentioned so fondly I should break down and give it a try.
Like you I too love heist films and there are many good ones out there making it hard to get down to three, so I ended up with a spare which is such a classic of the genre I had to include it.
The Italian Job (2003)-Sleek adventure of a pair of heists, betrayal and revenge among a group of thieves most of whom are honorable in their way. Beautiful locations, a jaunty tone and sprightly performances by the entire cast filled with familiar faces make this a cut above. Everybody’s good but Seth Green and Mos Def stand out.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)-On a hot summer day in Brooklyn what starts as a poorly planned bank heist quickly devolves into both a hostage situation and a media circus when it becomes a police standoff. Brilliant Sidney Lumet directed film features three award caliber performances at its core from Al Pacino, Charles Durning and John Cazale.
5 Against the House (1955)-Two college buddies Ronnie and Roy are pulled in briefly in connection with the attempted robbery of a Reno casino in which they had no part. Waiting to be released Ronnie overhears one of the cops say the casino can’t be successfully robbed and becomes obsessed with figuring out how to plan the perfect heist. Initially just an intellectual challenge until one of their other buddies, violent war vet Brick, discovers the plan and forces them to proceed involving the unsuspecting Al (Guy Madison) and his girlfriend, nightclub-singer Kaye (Kim Novak) along the way. Decent heist film that is rare among 50’s film in its allusions to Brick’s war experience (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) being at the root of his erratic behavior.
Honorable Mention-The Asphalt Jungle (1950)-Ex-con Dix (Sterling Hayden) plans to steal a cool million in jewels. He gathers a team of small-time crooks together to pull the job, which is a success until a stray bullet kills one of the men. As they scramble to cover themselves the men become entangled in a web of treachery and murder. John Huston keeps the tension tight in this landmark noir that provided the first real step forward for Marilyn Monroe in the small part of Angela, one of the men’s kept woman.
I agree, Ocean's Twelve is weak and arguably the worst entry in the trilogy. I'm glad Ocean's Thirteen happened.
DeleteI love The Italian Job. I've seen it for the first time because Edward Norton is in it, but I've fallen in love with it. I think I've seen it something like 15 times. I haven't seen Dog Day Afternoon yet. I know, shame on me. I always say I'm going to watch it but then I find some other film, and Dog Day is still waiting.
YAY for Jackie Brown and The Sting!! And for Ocean's Eleven, which is a PERFECT heist flick.
ReplyDeleteThree truly great films. No complaints from me on any of these. Glad to see Jackie Brown get some love. Fantastic picks!
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see Jackie Brown and I love Tarantino so shame on me. Love The Sting! Great film and I enjoy Ocean's 11 and can watch that over and over just like The Italian Job
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I've never seen The Sting. I should remedy that.
ReplyDeleteLOVE Ocean's 11, though. Such a fun movie and I love the conversations between Danny and Rusty when they say so much without saying anything. That's one of my favorite bro-mances.
I mentioned all of your picks in my post, and I didn't even pick any of them. So awesome! Love all of these movies.
ReplyDeleteAh man The Sting is just great!! Newman and Redford were a great duo.
ReplyDelete