fine whine

I still don't like Heist, but at least I understand what it is. Before I only knew it was a heist film (hence the name) but now I understand that it isn't naturalistic or realistic or many other things that end in -istic. The film takes place in a fabricated world where everybody is really cool ("so cool when he goes to sleep, the sheep count him"... what does that mean, anyway) and speaks in simple, but rhythmic barbs and jabs that just barely approximate a conversation.

Of course, either strengthening this point or obliterating it entirely, is a scene with Delroy Lindo's character and his girlfriend in the car outside a diner. Gene Hackman's character is inside, and Delroy is explaining that the two of them were talking about fights or something else (not heist-related) and so on, but the point isn't that conversation from the diner but the one in the car, where everything suddenly seems normal and realistic. Through the driver's side window onto that bench seat we see one of the only glances to the rest of the movie world, the one without cool criminals and witty backtalk. There are real, uninvolved people, but only one gets much in the way of screen time. Everybody else is in on it, in one way or another, and subject to the alternate reality. So it goes.

The film's definitely a Mamet, and having paid closer attention to Spartan recently I'd wanted to watch this one again just to see if knowing what David is doing has any effect on how much I enjoy the film.

It matters, but very little. I still don't like Heist, but I don't dislike it nearly as much as I formerly did.

And darnit, Ricky Jay just rocks.