Film
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THEIR LAST BREATH IS USUALLY TAKEN FACE DOWN Hitlist THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES*
✽✽ Still Walking Hirokazu Afterlife Koreeda’s personal and very moving portrait of family, dementia and old age. See review, page 49. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 22 Jan. ✽✽ A Prophet French filmmaker Jacques Audiard’s terrific crime epic following one young Arab man’s education and empowerment in prison. See feature, page 26 and review, page 47. Selected release from Fri 22 Jan. ✽✽ Precious Powerful urban melodrama about one abused young lady’s journey towards self-love. Based on the novel Push by Sapphire. See review, page 48. Selected release from Fri 29 Jan. ✽✽ Toy Story 2 (3D) Pixar classic back in glorious 3D. See Also Released, page 49. Selected release from Fri 29 Jan. ✽✽ Late Autumn Re-issue of delightful 1960 romantic drama. Part of Yusujiro Ozu season. See Also Released, page 49. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 29 Jan. ✽✽ Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Fantastic and inventive Ian Dury biopic. Out now, general release. ✽✽ The Road Fine adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Out now, general release. ✽✽ The Queen of Spades Rediscovered 1949 magic realist chiller. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 22–Sun 24 Jan and out on DVD now (Optimum). ✽✽ Les Demoiselles de Rochefort Re-issue of Jacques Demy’s magical and stylish 1967 musical. GFT, Glasgow, Tue 2 & Wed 3 Feb. ✽✽ Privilege Peter Watkins’ soothsaying 1967 cult of celebrity satire finally gets a decent DVD release with a tonne of extras. See review, page 50. Out Mon 25 Jan (BFI).
Hands up
Planning one last big job? Then you may want to read Eddie Harrison’s handy guide to daylight robbery. You in? Or out?
O K so you want to pull off a heist? Unless you’re still living in the era of gentleman thieves like Raffles, you’ll need some outside help. For starters, have you got a charismatic sidekick in shades? Check. A fast-talkin, blowsy chick ready to cause a distraction by flashing some stocking to the gob-smacked guards? Check. A Chinese acrobat ready to de-activate the alarm system? Sure. A systems analyst capable of cracking computer codes and a helicopter pilot waiting for your signal? Fine. Then let’s go to work.
Classic heist movies Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job derive their entertainment value from the skilful execution of a tense, daring robbery by a roguish mastermind, usually accompanied by a hand-picked, loyal gang like the one detailed above. The roguish charm of the protagonist is sharpened by the notion that their crime is justified; in the anti-establishment 1970s stars like Warren Beatty and Robert Redford could cheerfully rob banks and get away with it in Dollars and The Hot Rock respectively, but these days, corrupt corporations and crooked casino bosses are seen as more deserving of a trip to the cleaners. Aspiring for the raw toughness of genre master Don Siegel’s 1973 thriller Charley Varrick, but turning out as daft and lunkish as a Steven Seagal vehicle, Armored (pictured) features Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and co attempting an armoured car robbery which is
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so boneheaded, they’re doomed from the start. But Armored belongs to the ‘heist-gone-wrong’ sub- genre, a defiantly blue-collar variation which isn’t about slick teamwork and gadgets, but the deadly consequences of group dynamics gone bad. Classic texts The Asphalt Jungle, The Good Die Young, The Killing and The Usual Suspects all feature a snake-pit of hard, desperate men who find themselves tangled in a web of double and triple- crosses. The lags that join the crew in the ‘heist-gone- wrong’ flick don’t usually end up quaffing champagne in swimming pools shaped like dollar signs. Their last breath is usually taken face down at midnight on a railway crossing, with dollar bills billowing sky-wards from an open suitcase.
So pay heed to these simple tips if you’re planning a heist; firstly, no dress code is required. Outfitting your boys in identical clothes spells disaster, whether it’s black suits in Reservoir Dogs, or Father Christmas suits for Ben Affleck’s chaotic casino heist Reindeer Games. Secondly, you can cut down on police or mob infiltration by avoiding last minute recruits to your gang; no Keyser Soze’s or Mr Blonde’s need apply. And lastly, but not least, when disabling the alarm system, always remember to cut the green wire first. Or, wait a minute, maybe that should be the red wire?
Armored is on general release from Fri 22 Jan.