IMDb plot summary: After Duke Anderson is released from prison after ten years for taking the rap for a scion of a Mafia family, he cashes in a debt of honor with the mob to bankroll a caper.
Directed by Sidney Lumet. Starring Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, and Ralph Meeker.
This is more interesting in concept than it is in execution. The surveillance of the characters is so ever-present, but it feels like it's used more as a gimmick than anything thematically cohesive, like the initial idea was just a straightforward crime heist movie and then someone said, "This needs something extra," so they threw this at it. The crime DID need something extra, but I'm not sure this was it. Sean Connery is enjoyable enough as the lead here, though it's Martin Balsam who is most captivating, playing the amiable gay antique store owner whose job is to assess what is and isn't worth stealing. There are also a few interesting plot wrinkles involving a gangster the crew is forced to take along on the job against their will. This is one of those rare movies that I think would benefit from a remake. The moral questions of surveillance are more relevant than ever, and integrating it further into the story thematically could make something very compelling.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Anderson Tapes > The Misfits
The Anderson Tapes < Dark Passage
The Anderson Tapes < Fantasia 2000
The Anderson Tapes < Ice Age
The Anderson Tapes < Mr. Nice Guy
The Anderson Tapes < Skyfall
The Anderson Tapes > Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
The Anderson Tapes < Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Anderson Tapes > Dazed and Confused
The Anderson Tapes > Neighbors
The Anderson Tapes < Bad Education
Final spot: #1658 out of 3389, or 51%.
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