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12-21-2003, 10:35 PM
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#1 of 38 
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the problem with con/heist movies
the problem with con/heist movies, i think, is that the movie always tries to make it look like a complication has come up against the protagonist's plan, making it look like it's in jeopardy (red herring?), but we always know, no matter how convincing the movie tries to be, EVERYTHING is going to plan. movies like:
i think is what ruined it for me. THAT movie was actually convincing. trick me once, shame on me...
how about a movie where a sting/con actually doesn't work? is this a pickle?: anybody with suggestions of movies like that would in effect "spoil" the movie...
"now, if that's a fact, tell me... am i lying?"
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12-21-2003, 10:46 PM
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#2 of 38
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Without going into any details to avoid spoiling anything, let me simply suggest you check out:
Rififi
Diabolique (1954)
The Killers (1946)
The Killing
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Ladykillers
The Italian Job (1968)
You might be pleasantly surprised.
"Movies should be like amusement parks. People should go to them to have fun." - Billy Wilder
"Subtitles good. Hollywood bad." - Tarzan, Sight & Sound 2012 voter.
"My films are not slices of life, they are pieces of cake." - Alfred Hitchcock
"My great humility is just one of the many reasons that I am vastly superior to everyone else." - Ramrod Clerk
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12-21-2003, 10:46 PM
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#3 of 38
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Join Date: Feb 2002
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That's funny, I was having the exact same thoughts a couple months ago after watching The Sting. I love con movies, but after a while they do all seem kinda the same.
The problem is that there needs to be some kind of tension, and that's pretty much the only way to do it. It's almost always a situation where it looks like something has gone seriously wrong, but what the audience doesn't know it that it's actually all part of the plan.
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12-21-2003, 10:48 PM
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#4 of 38
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Join Date: Feb 2002
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I'll second George's recommendations of The Killing and Diabolique, which take different directions with the formula. I don't care much for The Killers, and haven't seen any of the others.
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12-21-2003, 10:49 PM
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#5 of 38
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I would also recommend checking out Neil Jordan's recent remake of The Good Thief.
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12-21-2003, 10:50 PM
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#6 of 38
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Jason
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The Usual Suspects?
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead?
Course, sometimes the pleasure goes back to seeing someone pull off the "impossible". It is what the attraction with "Mission: Impossible" (The TV series, not the movies.) for me was.
Jason
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12-21-2003, 11:50 PM
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#7 of 38
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Topkapi..
That said, "everything is going to plan" per se does not bother me, as long as the execution is good. There have been some great Law and Order, CSI, X-Files,.. espisodes that I KNOW everything will be resolved in 60 minutes (minus commercial), but I still think they are great, because they are so well executed.
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12-22-2003, 12:13 AM
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#8 of 38
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Member
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yes, i forgot about The Killing...
"now, if that's a fact, tell me... am i lying?"
display: JVC 56FH97
audio: pioneer vsx-d811s
HDDVD: A2
Bluray: PS3
xbox gamertag: DAYWOKKER
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12-22-2003, 01:16 AM
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#9 of 38
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Quote:
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I love con movies, but after a while they do all seem kinda the same.
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well, many tend to think of them along the same lines as (most) comedies, you get entertained during the ride, but can be pretty assured of the way the plot will end up. Of course this isn't always the case, and you get great comedies, like Adaptation (in my opinion  ) that are not only startlingly innovative, maintain strong narratives, but also hilarious at the same time.
on a side note, another shout-out for Kubrick's The Killing...never ceases to amaze me how the auteur managed to master so many genres!
later Pooh...
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12-22-2003, 01:24 AM
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#10 of 38
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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. I never get bored of it. Just be warned that the current DVD release is not in the very best of shape.
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