Review: "Tower heist" a large, high-profile occupied caper - on paper

In the new action comedy "Tower," plays Madoff-ish financier Alan Alda a Bernie, promotes its business acumen and lives a flashy lifestyle, complete with penthouse apartment and world-class art collection, but winds up a total amounted to is.

The character winds up has walking metaphor for the film himself, a superb cast, beautiful camera and a caper-stripes result, the action drives. It is a pity that when it has about you realize that the characters are not interesting and titular heist was not everything that moves.

Arthur Shaw (Alda) lives on the Tower, New York most expensive and exclusive high-rise where employee to the needs of its demanding tenants sees. Running that Josh of Kovács (Ben Stiller) is the staff, which his work, he seems to have little time for fun in addition to the online chess games, which he always on Shaw loses so dedicated.

Shaw gets arrested for fraud and Josh is forced to tell the staff he to invest Shaw, for they had given their pension fund, about. FBI special agent Claire (Téa Leoni) Josh says that they find no money in Shaw's flat, but Josh remembers that Shaw had installed safely hidden wall to years earlier.

Josh decides with blind faith that Shaw's emergency is locked nest egg in this safe, plan a robbery, know with which he and his brother-in-law, building Concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), the Tower will have the money under the nose of the Shaw and the Feds, watching over him, while he is under house arrest.

on paper all the makings of a good comedy of one shot timely revenge on the rich guy story arc for great New York by Dante Spinotti to a jazzy Lalo Schifrin-esque result by Christophe Beck a snappy comic ensemble (includes also Eddie Murphy as Josh's childhood acquaintance enabled petty thief, Judd Hirsch as a humorless building manager, and Gabourey Sidibe as a girl with a talent for safe cracking).

where "Tower-Heist" apart goes in the direction of Brett Ratner and the script by Ted is Griffin and Jeff Nathanson - the biggest caper movies give us elaborately planned burglary, where each element of the system falls in place like the cups of a lock, but this one is shamelessly sloppy.

We are for example said that Thanksgiving the busiest day of the year in the Tower, with several dinner parties in the ongoing and catering truck (if the robbery is taking place) come and go all day; Why, then are the hallways and lobby of those staff as blank next to building? Security forces are not by the thieves planning, but redirected by pure chance. and why would Matthew Broderick sad sack finance analyst, have removed only from the building, are for the heist when he brings no special abilities to the table?

"Tower Heist" promises a lot more than it delivers; the film leads a manhunt by the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBCUniversal synergies at work, no doubt) and but then everything works the hustle and bustle of the event in action, what at the parade give Stiller and company to sneak in a door, while each Snoopy is just a moment.

not that the script better with people - sure, if you have all those involved in the crime, but a motivation they are? Murphy's and Sidibe of characters flirt, for five seconds, for example, but then it is never again mentioned.

It will take a cast of this talented meat from such lean characterizations. The MVP here should Michael Peña, brings his unique screwball comic skills (those who him the only one worth seeing "30 minutes or less" for) as operator for newly listed elevator, the integral is the robbery.

The hope was that "Tower-heist" Murphy's mark return to form, put it in the way of the action-comedy role, which originally brought him fame in movies like "48 hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop" and while he here everything only not embarrass himself, feels a little red and familiar at this time, like the Stiller closely wound type A guy.

The high-quality ingredients "Tower-Heist" make it, to sit, at least, painless and the film pull off a few set pieces for measures that are stunning exciting. It is a pity only that Ratner craftsmen enough to prevent that they reduce soufflé not.

Related posts:

Action-comedy "Tower Heist" pits rich against the poor in Moneyball game Tower: an epic history of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones: ReviewEddie Murphy's comeback: No. clubs, family films, no. 'Beverly Hills Cop' game preview: ' payday: the heist "hands-on (PSN) review: 'SNL' goes from the high of Melissa McCarthy on the deep by Ben Stiller"

View the original article here

‘Tower Heist’ action comedy pits rich vs. poor in moneyball game

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has a mammoth Mao portrait by Andy Warhol on his wall, a red 1963 Ferrari in his living room and a fleet of people at his beck and call in the Tower.

He doesn’t just live in a luxury Central Park condo but in the penthouse below a rooftop pool with the design of a hundred-dollar bill on the bottom. Benjamin Franklin gazes up at him as he does laps in “Tower Heist.”

Shaw likes to play the regular-guy card with his aw-shucks reminder, “Deep down, I’m just an Astoria boy.” but deep down, he likely is a Wall Street swindler who stole $2 billion from his investors.

When the staff of the Tower, led by building manager Josh Kovaks (Ben Stiller), hears about the charges, they initially defend Shaw. but when they realize he may be a crook who also lost their pension money and the savings of a longtime employee, Josh and a handful of others plot a “Tower Heist.”

After all, an FBI agent (Tea Leoni) had drunkenly suggested: “Grab some pitchforks and a couple of guys and storm the castle. He’ll never see it coming.”

The action comedy “Tower Heist” is wish fulfillment for blue- or white-collar victims of Bernie Madoff and other cheats or bumblers who lost their clients’ money. They’re the little people who push cleaning carts and hail taxis and keep track of the details of rich residents’ lives.

In addition to Josh, the gang includes a petty crook (Eddie Murphy); a concierge (Casey Affleck); a former Merrill Lynch employee (Matthew Broderick) who has hit bottom; and an elevator operator (Michael Pena).

Gabourey Sidibe from “Precious” shows a flair for comedy as a Jamaican maid, while veteran Judd Hirsch turns up as the boss of Josh and his co-workers.

“Tower Heist,” directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, features mr. Alda in the sort of oily role usually played by Jeremy Irons. (See “Margin call.”) but mr. Alda wears the friendly facade well and allows us to see the warmth slowly give way to cavalier, class warfare chilliness.

There are reasons why heist movies, if they pit the little guy against a corrupt business, bank or government, can be irresistible. you, too, will want to wipe that smirk off the billionaire’s face and may relate to the longtime worker whose retirement dreams go poof.

“Tower Heist” makes terrific use of New York and an annual tradition that plays a key role but an elaborate centerpiece stunt seems to defy the laws of physics (or weight-bearing loads).

While mr. Murphy provides a comic spark, he also skirts the PG-13 rating at times in an unnecessary way. the movie can be funny but it isn’t as sophisticated or intricately plotted as “Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequels.

Once again, it reminds us the rich are different from you and me and, when they live in the penthouse, they have a lot farther to fall.

First published on November 4, 2011 at 12:00 am

Related posts:

Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones: reviewGame Preview: ‘Payday: The Heist’ Hands-on (PSN)Eddie Murphy’s Comeback: No Clubs, No Family Movies, No ‘Beverly Hills Cop’Dublin Water Tower Comes DownRich Copley: ‘Footloose’ isn’t anti-Christian; it’s anti-extremism

View the original article here