SimonJack Something is missing in "The Hot Rock" that keeps it from being a great film. Perhaps several smaller things together keep it from being a top caper comedy. It surely is of that genre, but the comedy is quite weak. A sometimes funny script saves is from being a bomb. The idea for the plot is a superb one. Jewel thieves have to steal the same prize diamond again and again. The schemes to do so are entertaining. But the comedy in those situations seems forced. An example is when the gang attacks a neighborhood police precinct to retrieve the jewel from a jail cell. The various police characters were all set up in comedic roles from the start. So, that's a forced comedy situation that comes off more as a satire or parody of the New York police department than a clever and humorous attempted heist at a police precinct building. And as a parody, it's just not funny. Robert Redford's character, Dortmunder, seems an awful lot like Johnny Hooker in "The Sting." But this film plot is far from that of the next year's film. And, the far laid back, easy-going character that Redford has here just doesn't seem to fit the plot very well. The best roles in the film are played by George Segal as Kelp and Paul Sand as Greenberg. They also are the source of most of the comedy. The film had great possibilities, but it comes off as more lame and silly than as very good comedy as a caper. It's worth a watch, but not the price to buy or rent it. But for some occasional funny lines, "The Hot Rock" would be a washout.Here are a few good lines from the film. For more funny lines, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.Dortmunder, "You're not being pushy?" Kelp, "I'm just edging you towards making a decision. There's a difference." Kelp, "You take failure too hard. I don't mind it so much anymore." Dr. Amusa, "I've heard of the habitual criminal, of course. But I never dreamed I'd become involved with the habitual crime."Greenberg (to his dad, Abe Greenberg, who has just sold out his son's gang), "Don't expect me for any more Sunday drives, dad."

Robert J. Maxwell A cast of seasoned professionals. Directed by Peter Yates, who gave us classics like "Robbery" and "Bullet". Screenplay by William Goldman, who gave us "Butch Cassidy" and "Marathon Man." Even the musical score: Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Gerry Mulligan, Frank Rosolino, and Bud Shank.Yet, you put all the elements together and it's only mildly involving. It has its amusing moments but the suspense involved in pursuing a valuable gem through New York City seems to be dragged out. The gang steal it from the Brooklyn Museum. The guy who gets caught has swallowed it. "When did it next appear?" asks their employer, Moses Gunn, in his most dramatic and earnest baritone.It next appeared in a police station and the gang must bust into the station with diverting explosions in the streets. But it's not where it had been hidden. Then it gets complicated as Zero Mostel, as the father of one of the gang, is drawn into the affair and decides to steal the gem and be paid for it all alone. The hell with his son and his son's partners.Redford has never looked more handsome. Many people have remarked on how much he resembles me since he copied my careless-looking hair style. Some people of low taste have hinted that he may even be more handsome than I. Really, I don't mind his being so good looking. I hold no enmity towards him for it, except that I wish his face would melt.Redford is the lead and, unfortunately, his acting style is minimalist. He conveys an awful lot of information with a slight widening of his eyes or the mere hint of a frown. That's not what the role calls for. It's not what this silly movie calls for either. It needs a more expressive, less white bread actor like Robert De Niro, who handles comedy very well.The wisecracks aren't very witty. Some of the acting is overreach. And the gags that should make us laugh out loud -- landing a helicopter on the wrong roof -- don't shoot out the lights. For whatever reason, probably the finest moment in the film is its resolution, a tense scene in which Redford, with the aid of hypnosis, insinuates himself into a bank's vault, retrieves the errant gem from a safe deposit box, and tries to walk slowly, inconspicuously, upstairs, through the bank's lobby, and out its revolving door.He succeeds only seconds before the arrival of Zero Mostel and a bodyguard. As Redford paces along the sidewalk, still deliberately, he realizes that he's finally gotten the prize. The viewer is as relieved and cheerful as Redford, as his pace picks up, he breaks into a smile, and begins to lope through traffic. At this point, the band, which has hitherto been a succession of burps, chirps, and inquisitive whistles, builds into a cheerful Dixieland melody. The end really is a delight.

peter-patti Okay okay, Westlake's novels are always much better than the respective movies (take for example "What's the Worst that Could Happen"), but I must admit that director Peter Yates did a really good job. Dortmunder (the author was inspired to this name by the German beer!) is not much like Donald Westlake's original in the Dortmunder books, along with some of the other characters. Redford is too handsome. George C. Scott in "Bank Shot" was much more Dortmunderish (Westlake's master-crook John Archibald Dortmunder is worn down and pessimistic), but in the "Hot Rock" movie Yates catches the 'Zeitgeist', or spirit of the times. And that's enough.Brilliant: Quincy Jones' soundtrack (with Gerry Mulligan playing the sax).

tjnugent I saw this movie in its original theatrical release and have seen it again many times since. It is one of the funniest movies ever made. The script, the performances, the direction, and production are all outstanding. Redford's performance is as good as if not better than his efforts in Butch Cassidy and The Sting. Zero Mostel is as always delightful. The soundtrack, hip and jazzy, is perfect. What's not to like? A true gem of a comedy/drama. The high point of virtually all careers involved. Thanks to this review, I have learned that the movie's script was based on a novel, one of a series of novels, which I plan on reading.