'BIG HEIST' STEALS FROM THE BEST.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ``The Big Heist'' may be uninspiredly titled, but it's a fairly entertaining tale recalling a foolhardy fool·har·dy adj. fool·har·di·er, fool·har·di·est Unwisely bold or venturesome; rash. See Synonyms at reckless. [Middle English folhardi, from Old French fol hardi : , unlikely airport heist in 1978 that reaped a staggering $8 million in cash. It performs a little thievery Thievery See also Gangsterism, Highwaymen, Outlawry. Alfarache, Guzmán de picaresque, peripatetic thief; lived by unscrupulous wits. [Span. Lit. on its own, lifting its wry tone, incidental music incidental music Music composed to accompany a play. The practice dates back to ritualistic Greek drama, and it is thus connected to the use of music in other kinds of ritual. style and small technical flourishes from Steven Soderbergh's top-drawer caper caper, common name for members of the Capparidaceae, a family of tropical plants found chiefly in the Old World and closely related to the family Cruciferae (mustard family). flick ``Out of Sight.'' Donald Sutherland stars as Jimmy ``The Gent'' Burke, a proud but negligible gangster leading a motley band of thugs - one so fat he had to give up stick-ups because everybody knew who he was. In order to make good on a debt to the Gambino crime family The Gambino Crime Family is one of the "Five Families" that controls organized crime activities based in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). , Burke decides to rob the Lufthansa terminal at JFK Airport, temporary home to money returned to America after having been spent overseas. Jimmy and his boys expect to reap a cool half mil - not chump change chump change n. Slang A small amount of money. Noun 1. chump change - a trifling sum of money chickenfeed, small change , but nothing to get too worked up over, either. Imagine their surprise when, after they somehow manage to pull the gig off, they discover they're sitting on $8 million - the largest cash heist in American history. Naturally, given these bozos, the good times end quickly. Director Robert Markowitz is no fool - if you're going to crib from (or pay homage to) a heist film, ``Out of Sight'' is certainly the gold standard, and both films draw humor from the haplessness yet good fortune of some bumbling cons. The soundtrack - when it's not blaring ironically employed disco tunes from the era - is awash in the same sort of '70s-style funk ``Out of Sight'' employed so artfully, and Markowitz uses freeze frames and shock cuts in his editing, albeit to a far more manic extent than Soderbergh did in his film. Sutherland doesn't give one of his better performances - he's all smooth until he goes over-the-top, and his Irish brogue is a bit of a deal-killer - but his character's wavy hairpiece chews even more scenery. The rest of the cast, chockablock with what they used to call ``great faces,'' does fine work. ``The Big Heist'' is entertaining enough, but could've used a little more pop to be memorable. ``THE BIG HEIST'' What: Docudrama about the 1978 Lufthansa heist. The stars: Donald Sutherland, John Heard John Heard (born March 7, 1945 [1]) is an American actor. Biography Early life Heard was born in Washington, D.C. to John and Helen Heard.[2] He finished high school at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. , Jamie Harris Jamie Harris is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Scottish Premier League club Dunfermline Athletic. Jamie began his football career at hometown club Swansea City in 1996. . Where: A&E. When: 9 tonight. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Donald Sutherland, right, leads the cast of A&E's thriller ``The Big Heist,'' airing tonight. |
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