Plot: What’s it about?
The basic storyline to this movie is: A expensive piece of art is stolen and a high profile career thief is suspected. A top notch insurance investigator is sent undercover to determine if he did, in fact steal it, and recover it. It is a good basic storyline that has worked in several classics over the years. However, that is where the similarities with the older classics end.
Sean Connery plays Robert MacDougal, or as he is known in the criminal world, Mac. A master thief known, or at least highly suspected, to have pulled off some of the greatest heists ever. When a great Rembrandt is stolen for an incredibly secure, high-rise office, he is at the top of the suspects. Top insurance investigator Viginia Baker, played wonderfully by Catherine Zeta-Jones, has been obsessed with catching Mac and convinces her boss to send her undercover with a target of another priceless work of art as bait.
Baker meets up with Mac and the two of the form an uneasy alliance. Trust is the very last thing to occur in the world of thieves and, with these two, there is no exception. When Baker reveals who she really is, which is a surprise even to the viewer, her true motives for teaming up with Mac begin to cloud. Thus begins a tense who-is-out-to-get-whom game.
Overall, this is an excellent movie that the entire family could sit down to watch together. The foul language is kept to an absolute minimum and there are only two gunshots, both of which miss. Instead of gore, violence, sex and nudity, the movie relies primarily on a good plot and chemistry between its two principle actors. (Connery and Zeta-Jones work very well together too.) When I saw the movie in the theater, I felt like I had just watched “To Catch a Thief” or some other classic from thirty years ago. Again, it is a movie easily worth a rental that anyone can enjoy, which is why I gave it the highest overall rating possible.
Concerning the picture and sound, they are both high quality. The colors are excellent and some of ConneryÆs home country of Scotland is shown beautifully on this DVD. The sound is top-notch as well, with all speakers getting used at sometime throughout the movie. I was somewhat disappointed in the extras since there was only a trailer or two provided. Perhaps a special edition is in the near future.
Video: How does it look?
Excellent. Beautiful, scenic shots of Scotland and Europe in this movie. Overall, a very clear picture.
Audio: How does it sound?
Again, excellent. There are not many scenes requiring heavy surround sound, but there were a few chase scenes that utilized the whole system.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Not a whole lot to talk about here. Just the basic trailer routine.
