The Heist (1989 TV Movie) User Reviews

So, I'm a sucker.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 5 June 2007]

I am a sucker for heist films and for Pierce Brosnan, who did this little film after he finished with Remington Steele, and before he got famous as the best Bond ever.

I like a good heist. Usually, I like to watch the planning, but that wasn't the feature here. he had everything in his head and didn't appear to share with anyone, except maybe his girlfriend Sheila (Wendy Hughes).

This wasn't about money. It was about revenge against the guy who sent him to prison (Tom Skerritt) and winning his girl back.

It wasn't terribly great, but it was enjoyable. He perfected his ability in this type of picture and was brilliant in The Thomas Crown Affair.

Simpler Would Have Been Better

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 2 October 2006]

A man gets out of prison and gets back at his old partner by robbing his racetrack. He even tells him he;'s going to do it and the owner is ready for him. Yes, that's an improbable story but an intriguing one. It wound up with so many twists and turns in the final minutes that I couldn't follow all of them. Many of the twists centered around ex-con character, which was impossible to figure out.

Pierce Brosnan played "Neil Skinner," a man who served four years in prison he shouldn't have had to serve. Tom Skerritt plays "Ebbet Berens," the racetrack owner whom Brosnan is after. Wendy Hughes plays "Sheila," the love interest in the film.

Interesting overall as Brosnan seems to be tuning up for his suave, James Bond roles, which he would begin in about five years. This film was interesting, but unsatisfying by the time it was all over. A simpler ending would have made this a much better film.

An Okay Watch

[ipswich-2 · 5/10 · 10 April 2000]

This an average though slightly entertaining account of an ex-con (Pierce Brosnan) who having served four years in prison for a crime he did not commit, takes his revenge on the man (Tom Skerritt) who put him there. This is Brosnan before his James Bond days but you won't be mistaken if you think he is reprising his 007 or Remington Steele role. He is his usual cool, suave and witty self in a movie tailored specifically for him. Skerritt is hardly convincing as the villain and the main love interest, Wendy Hughes, acts as if her mind was somewhere else throughout. Just look at her dumb and deadpan face! What saves the movie is the fast pacy account of how Brosnan plays the cat-and-mouse game with his potential captors who knows he is robbing the race track but can't figure out how. The actual heist is full of twists and turns and delightfully amusing to follow. This is somewhat predictable but nevertheless entertaining enough. Rent this family if you have the spare lazy afternoon with the family.

The Heist

[Coxer99 · 19 July 1999]

Average yarn with Brosnan playing a man who has only one week to pull off a scam to get revenge on former partner Skerritt who had him framed and put behind bars. Wendy Hughes is striking, along with the always dashing Brosnan, who here is as formidable a con man as his 007.

Specifics??

[PatrynXX · 6/10 · 23 January 2004]

(Spoilers??)

Bought this movie for $2 at big lots several months ago. (closeout store that Jerry Van Dyke has been pulling for)

Anyway, the movie is interesting and yet another movie that shows another fine performance by Pierce Brosnan. I thought it was fairly okay. Wasn't a great movie though. Alot of the specifics get confusing. Especially the ending as the credits roll. Couldn't figure out who got the money , or if they got it back. Although it was fairly obvious Tom Skerrit was screwed. Which was the main section of the plot.

Now all this movie needs , is a dvd.

6/10

Quality: 5/10 Entertainment: 8/10 Replayable: 5/10

Pierce Brosnan, using brains not brawn, needs to take down a horse track and his crooked ex-partner

[delphini · 9/10 · 15 October 2001]

If you liked THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR you'll probably like THE HEIST. In fact the last act of TTCA seems to be lifted directly from this. As it was released on HBO domestically and only made theaters oversees, it's an overlooked gem of a movie. A project worth studying if you're a writer attempting a heist picture, along with RIFFIFI(French), THE HOT ROCK, THIEF, THE GETAWAY and a few others. It's tone is fun and smart.

This is not heavy fair and had a limited budget. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from Mann's HEAT, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It clearly falls under the cat & mouse category of heist projects as the hero attempts to simultaneously take down one last big score, win back the girl, and get revenge against his crooked ex-partner (Skerritt) who years earlier double crossed him, stole the girl and sent him to prison. The beauty of the film is everybody knows when and where our Hero is going to attempt his impossible score. They just don'

a wonderful intellectual action film!

[racr · 10/10 · 21 August 1999]

Forget James Bond! Pierce Brosnan is at his best in this well-paced thoughtful revenge thriller--enough action for any Bond fan with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing who will come out on top until the very end! Will the good guy win and get the girl? Watch and find out . . .

An enjoyable caper flick

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 April 2010]

Wily con artist Neal Skinner (a sound and engaging performance by Pierce Brosnan) gets paroled after serving four years in prison. Neal plans to get revenge by robbing the racetrack run by his former partner Ebbet Berens (smoothly played by Tom Skerritt), who set Neal up in order to have complete dibs on the business. Moreover, Nal also wants his feisty old flame Sheila (a nice portrayal by Wendy Hughes) back. Director Stuart Orme, working from a smart and absorbing script by William Irish Jr., relates the tricky story at a steady pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the racetrack setting, and stages the slick and exciting big gig with considerable aplomb. A strong supporting cast of reliable veteran thespians helps matters a whole lot: Robert Prosky as rascally gambler Dancer, Noble Willingham as crusty security guard Stuckey, and Tom Atkins as gruff ramrod Detective Leland. Ben Mittleman and Nino Surdo are amusing as two thuggish goons who work for Berens. The surprise twist at the very end is a real pip. Both George Tirl's sharp cinematography and Arthur B. Rubinstein's bluesy'n'funky score are up to speed. A neat little movie.

A wonderful story of intrigue

[johnny77-3 · 10/10 · 21 July 2022]

A wonderful story of intrigue in which the double if not triple games are not counted, there is also a pinch of sex in a scene of the film, some jokes (but I refer to the Italian version) are fulminating. Pierce Brosnan is in great shape, but the others are not far behind, and together they make this one of the nicest films ever.

Family Movie? Not in My Family. But great fun, great plot, get-even story.

[Carrie_the_Oracle · 9/10 · 26 May 2005]

This is a movie that is NOT A FAMILY MOVIE because of the love scene--a winner if you like them--and a woman-swapping subplot. If you can eliminate those scenes, it's OK for teens, but will bore the little ones.

Five or so years ago, Brosnan's partner stole money from their racetrack and purchased emeralds, and, with the help of a crooked cop, sent innocent sucker Brosnan to prison for the deed. Brosnan's woman stayed with the partner and hooked up, being upwardly mobile, I guess. Now he returns to steal money from the track, but return it, get the partner arrested, and get back the girl. How will he do it? If 007, Remington Steele and Pierce Brosnan can't do it, who can? The plot is full of turns and twists, with lots of characters that cannot chew gum and walk, just like you and I know in real life. So, every step is hard on your nerves.

The movie is fun, and because it's complicated, you may want to watch it more than once, so you can "get" the details. But if you're a fan of any of the watchable actors in this film, and yes, there are plenty of women who like Skerritt better than Brosnan, that's noo00oo problemo.

The best part, besides the unowat part, is the final song, which is "Mi Manero," or "My Way" in Spanish. If you are not fluent in Spanish, you can actually hear the infectious joy of this great song without being put off by the embarrassing arrogance of the English words.

Puh-lease

[Judith-4 · 7 April 2002]

Leave it to Pierce Brosnan to be in the worst movie HBO ever made. The network's movies have received numerous award nominations, but The Heist is totally light-weight. Brosnan wears scuzzy clothes and has no charm in this movie. His character pursues a woman who abandoned him when he was arrested and returned all the letters he sent her from jail. When he sees her again, she makes it clear she's not interested, but he still thinks she loves him. Later, she vacillates between Brosnan and Tom Skerritt, just to see who will end up on top. The sex scene isn't even sexy because all you can see is an isolated shot of a man's butt, indicating it's not even Brosnan but a double.

Hapless heist

[ionamay48 · 21 January 2004]

I'm really not much of a Brosnan fan, but I was impressed with his early work in Fourth Protocol with M. Caine...so I thought I'd take a chance and buy The Heist...thinking it must be a FAIRLY decent movie.WRONG!!! The opening scene with Brosnan spitting out on the prison yard was an IMMEDIATE turn-off. A thoroughly substandard production almost totally lacking in anything that would make you want to pay to see. Unimaginative and insipid at worst...boring and predictable at best...and where did they find his love interest? Short, fat, ugly and old.What was up with that!? I though ole Pierce was supposed to be a "ladies man". The supporting characters only succeeded in bringing what little of a movie there might have been down in flames.Even Skerrit was horrendous! All in all a thorough disaster to be avoided at ALL costs!!!Poor music score as well.