An unknown man hires four unrelated men to carry off a bank heist of over $2 million. The four meet for the first time during the actual heist itself, which is carried off successfully. Their unknown leader is suave and wealthy Thomas Crown, an executive at the bank that was hit. Eddy Malone, the Boston police detective in charge of the case, is coming up empty in his investigation, that is until beautiful insurance investigator Vicki Anderson comes on the scene. Anderson, admittedly self-serving in that she works on commission, thinks like a thief and works on her instincts. Looking through the evidence, she believes that Crown is her man. Upon meeting, Anderson knows that Crown is the thief. Crown knows what Anderson believes as she tells him as much. Despite their positions, they are immediately attracted to each other and begin a relationship. But this does not stop their cat and mouse chase. However, the role of the cat and the role of the mouse are not always clear cut. –IMDb
Receiving his undergraduate education at Malvern Collegiate Institute, Victoria College and University of Toronto, Ontario-born director and producer Norman Jewison also studied piano and music theory at the Royal Conservatory. Following service in the navy and a brief sojourn as a cab driver, Jewison worked as an actor and scenarist in London. From 1953 through 1958, he was one of the top directors with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television service; he continued to turn out top-ranked TV work when he was signed by CBS in New York, winning three Emmys between 1958 and 1961. His first feature film was 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), which led to a long-term contract with Universal. In 1963, Jewison took on the daunting task of executive producing the much-troubled Judy Garland Show, emerging from this failed 26-week project with little if any egg on his face. The first of Jewison’s films to be greeted with the same critical effusion as his TV work was The Cincinnati Kid (1965… read more
En esta película, la historia pareciera ser lo de menos. Steve McQueen y Faye Dunaway hacen una gran pareja, desbordante de estilo y sensualidad. La fotografía, el diseño de producción y el montaje (el impactante uso de las pantallas divididas) conforman uno de los caleidoscopios más fascinantes que he visto en mucho tiempo.
Extremely stylized film that on first glimpse does not hold up to its premise. The real essence of the movie is in the style and look of the characters and their lifestyle. McQueen and Dunaway exude a sense of existentialism that elevates this caper film to something more...in the windmills of your mind. And that is certainly the way to play chess.
A propulsive survey of scores focusing on the thriller: procedurals, bank heists, neo-noirs, spy films, giallos, and sci-fi mind-games.
The clip, of course, has to come from Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
