The Hot Rock (1972)

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Directed by Peter Yates.

Starring Ron Leibman, Zero Mostel, Paul Sand, George Segal, Robert Redford, Lynne Gordon.

Peter Yates directs the early '70s comedy caper The Hot Rock, based on the Donald Westlake novel and adapted for the screen by William Goldman. Robert Redford stars as John Archibald Dortmunder, a former jewel thief just released from prison. His brother-in-law, Andrew Kelp (George Segal), recruits him to steal a diamond from a museum. They are hired by Dr. Amusa (Moses Gunn), an ambassador from Central Fatawi, whose people consider the stone to be sacred. John and Andrew assemble a team with Alan Greenberg (Paul Sand) and Stan Murch (Ron Leibman). They successfully pull off the job until the guards arrest them and Alan swallows the diamond. Alan's father (Zero Mostel) helps him break out of jail, which leads to a series of other heist attempts. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Best Heist films and also th ...
by Jymkata in Top 5

liked it.

"There are a lot of movies that I love that have heists in them but they are usually a means to an end and the bulk of the film usually deals with the fallout of said heist. Straight up heist films I love are : Jean Pierre Melville's stylish and masterful Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic. The Hot Rock and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (good call, Rizzo) are two of my favorite seventies Heist movies. One Heist film I just love is The Great Train Robbery - there is one perfectly choreographed scene that involves a lanky Donald Sutherland (he was so awesome in these quirky roles) and an impossible-to-get key that is a site to behold. Just recently I saw The Brinks Job and The Day They Robbed The Bank of England on TCM and I liked them both (but i do like Peter Falk and Aldo Rey respectively so that might have something to do with it). Finally, even though it is not a heist film I love what DePalma did in Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise's famous spy scenes. DePalma always cou ... " [More]

Before Pretention Set In
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Unusual Clint Eastwood vehicle, in that he participates in an ensemble cast rather than being the sole focus of the plot. A combination Road Movie/Buddy Picture/Caper Film that I was drawn to after researching the 1974 oscar race, and noticing Jeff Bridges nominated for his role in this film. Michael Cimino puts together a tight, well-paced character study with occasional surreal touches (what's up with the guy with a trunkload of white rabbits?) that carries none of the pretentious baggage and extraneous backstory that plagued his Deer Hunter/Heaven's Gate years. George Kennedy puts in a fine performance as an ex partner of Eastwood's with a huge chip on his shoulder, and Jeff Bridges puts in another in what would eventually prove to be a long career of underappreciated character roles. Also a good 'downer' ending that could only have come from the seventies. Other good 'caper gone wrong' movies that I also enjoy: Kubrick's The Killing, The Hot Rock ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

Star Robert Redford allegedly considers it one of his lesser efforts, but The Hot Rock is a lightly funny diamond heist caper that warrants no shame. Crisply scripted by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid scribe William Goldman, and efficiently directed by Peter Yates, The Hot Rock mines laughs out of an exemplary early '70s odd couple pairing of Redford's smooth yet cursed master thief and George Segal's neurotic accomplice. Though the supporting players remain underdeveloped, Zero Mostel's bowler-hatted lawyer and Quincy Jones' jazzy score add extra juice to the proceedings. Constantly beset by Murphy's Law, the gang's serial attempts to retrieve the titular diamond reach a comic high point in a police station raid that features a lackadaisical captain and tongue-in-cheek jabs at the cops' fear of the late '60s counterculture. Shot on-location in New York, Yates turns the city's bad 1970s reputation into further fodder for humor, while the gang's approach to the police station via helicopter includes aerial shots of the unfinished World Trade Center. Lost in the shuffle of Redford's more prominent early '70s vehicles, The Hot Rock has since fallen further into obscurity, with Redford reportedly holding up its video issue for quite some time; fortunately, it was rereleased on home video in 2003. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: robbery , heist , jail , bumblingcrooks , helicoptor
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