Crime does pay dividends
THE con is back on. But then again, when is the con not on?
We love our scam artists, don’t we? Well, maybe not those annoying types who ring you at inconvenient times and clumsily try to get your banking details. No respect for those chumps.
But suave sophisticates or streetwise scrappers who separate the obscenely wealthy from their loot by way of an elaborate plot or a perfectly-planned heist somehow earn begrudging respect from even the most law-abiding among us.
The latest gang of ne’er-do-wells to make off with some ill-gotten gains is the Ocean’s Eight squad, led by Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean.
You may have guessed that Debbie is the sister of Ocean’s Eleven ringleader Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney — it’s not a very common surname, after all — and that a talent for swiping and swindling runs in the family. And you’d be right. In Ocean’s Eight, currently in cinemas, Debbie and right-hand woman Lou (ice-cool Cate Blanchett) assemble an all-female team to pinch millions of dollars in diamonds from the neck of A-list actress Daphne (Anne Hathaway, who pinches the whole movie with her crafty, funny performance). It’s an enjoyable caper, and one that may whet your appetite for further walks on the wild side. So, I’d like to suggest a handful of movies that follow the adventures of robbers and rogues, movies that you may have missed the first time around, or maybe not caught for a few years.
The Brothers Bloom:
Before he jetted off to a galaxy far, far away to make The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson crafted this quirky little tale of two brothers (Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) with a knack for setting up and pulling off intricate scams that leave the mark a little poorer financially but a lot happier generally.
When the brothers reunite for one last job — the target a lovely, lonely heiress, played by Rachel Weisz – a new romance and some old scores complicate the issue, as they often do.
Weisz also juggles chainsaws in this one, so you may want to check it out.
The Thomas Crown Affair:
The original, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, is much-loved, that’s true. But I still find myself preferring the 1999 remake with Pierce Brosnan as the billionaire of the title, a thrillseeking businessman who pulls off high-end art thefts for kicks.
However, he meets his match in insurance investigator Rene Russo, tasked with retrieving Brosnan’s latest illegal acquisition.
Are they really falling in love or using affection as a weapon? Come for two unfairly attractive people flirting with great panache, stay for a climactic cat-and-mouse game between cops and crooks that’ll have you cheering for the 1 per cent.
The Good Thief:
Nick Nolte stars in this one as Bob, an American thief living a life of quiet, happy hedonism in France. When the money runs low, though, Bob handcuffs himself to a bed to go cold turkey, cleans up his act and pulls off a job that will allow him to bankroll his lifestyle a little while longer.
His latest theft, however, may prove to be his toughest one yet, especially when a slinky Russian femme fatale enters the picture.
A lot of shabby European elegance on show here, not to mention the rough-diamond charm of Nolte, who effortlessly portrays a character who’s been around the block more than a few times.
Tower Heist:
When a corrupt corporate raider living in the penthouse of a New York high-rise rips off the pension fund of the high-rise employees, leaving them broke, it’s time for payback.
Undemanding fun with a terrific cast, headed by Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, but the interesting thing about Tower Heist is that it was originally titled Trump Heist and had its rag-tag bunch of amateur thieves out to rob the tycoon who’s now occupying the White House.
Can you imagine what a treat it would be to see Trump taken for all he’s got? Shame it never shook out that way.