The Hot Rock Review
Star Robert_Redford allegedly considers it one of his lesser efforts, but The Hot Rock is a lightly funny diamond heist caper that warrants no shame. Crisply scripted by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid scribe William_Goldman, and efficiently directed by Peter_Yates, The Hot Rock mines laughs out of an exemplary early '70s odd couple pairing of Redford's smooth yet cursed master thief and George_Segal's neurotic accomplice. Though the supporting players remain underdeveloped, Zero_Mostel's bowler-hatted lawyer and Quincy_Jones' jazzy score add extra juice to the proceedings. Constantly beset by Murphy's Law, the gang's serial attempts to retrieve the titular diamond reach a comic high point in a police station raid that features a lackadaisical captain and tongue-in-cheek jabs at the cops' fear of the late '60s counterculture. Shot on-location in New York, Yates turns the city's bad 1970s reputation into further fodder for humor, while the gang's approach to the police station via helicopter includes aerial shots of the unfinished World Trade Center. Lost in the shuffle of Redford's more prominent early '70s vehicles, The Hot Rock has since fallen further into obscurity, with Redford reportedly holding up its video issue for quite some time; fortunately, it was rereleased on home video in 2003. Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
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