In 1973, Robert Redford was one of the stars of the fabulous heist movie, The Sting. The Hot Rock (aka How To Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons) pre-dated The Sting by a year, and dare I say it, I found it equally entertaining. Yet The Hot Rock has never gained the fame and popularity of The Sting. That’s a shame, because there is a lot here to enjoy.
Robert Redford (who is so beautiful in this film that it almost hurts to look at him!) is Dortmunder, a perpetual thief who, together with his brother-in-law Kelp (George Segal) and two other small time crooks, Murch and Greenberg (Ron Leibman and Paul Sand respectively) is tasked with stealing a diamond from a museum. What they don’t realise is that stealing the diamond is only the start of their troubles.
I had never heard of this film before watching it, but I saw that it was on television and that it starred Robert Redford, and decided to give it a go. I discovered a hidden gem (no irony intended, given the storyline of the film). The story is very funny, with plenty of action and some great throwaway one liners. It’s really Redford’s film – he definitely plays the biggest part, but Segal is excellent support, and both Leibman and Sand are great as well.
There are plenty of twists and turns, but things never get too serious for the viewer, and I found that when I had finished watching the film, I had a huge smile on my face. Perfect light entertainment, which deserves to be better known. I would highly recommend this film.
Year of release: 1972
Director: Peter Yates
Producers: Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts
Main cast: Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn, Zero Mostel
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