The Hot Rock [How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons] **** (Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Zero Mostel, Moses Gunn, William Redfield) – Classic Movie Review 8854

Director Peter Yates’s thoroughly enjoyable and entirely amusing 1972 comedy thriller heist caper yarn The Hot Rock [How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons] stars Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Zero Mostel, Moses Gunn and William Redfield.

After he is sought out by Dr Amusa (Gunn), who wants a precious jewel back in Africa, ex-con Dortmunder (Redford) gets burglars Kelp (Segal), Murch (Leibman) and Abe Greenberg (Mostel) to help him hatch a perfect plan to steal the gem from a New York museum. The rock, of course, proves elusive.

Sometimes the movie is too laid back and lacks enough pace and oomph, but Donald Westlake’s story is as thoroughly likeable as the players, and William Goldman’s screenplay is excellent. The locations shooting, including the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City, is a big asset.

In Britain it became the first film to be re-titled by computer, which came up with How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons. The fifth uneasy lesson is: don’t re-title your movie by computer. Being as long, literal and clumsy as that, it was hard to fit it onto the marquee, and probably put customers off. What was wrong with the witty The Hot Rock?

The 1974 Bank Shot is a welcome sequel movie, based on Westlake’s book sequel to The Hot Rock [How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons], also produced by Hal Landers and Bobby Roberts, but starring George C Scott in the Redford role, though with a different character name.

Also in the cast are Topo Swope, Charlotte Rae, Graham P Jarvis, Harry Bellaver, Seth Allen, Robert Levine, Lee Wallace, Robert Weil, Lynne Gordon, Grania O’Malley, Fred Cooke and Mark Dawson.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8854

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com