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The Anderson Tapes follows Duke Anderson (Sean Connery), a thief that walks out of a 10-year stint in prison only to plan an elaborate burglary in the apartment building of his girlfriend Ingrid (Dyan Cannon). After getting financed by the Mafia, he recruits a four-man crew for the job. What Anderson doesn't know is that he's the subject of various surveillance groups: the FBI, the IRS, the BNDD, and even a P.I. hired by Ingrid's former wealthy lover.
If you've seen Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, this is pretty much the same vibe (although maybe a tad more serious). Like Clooney, Connery is a cool-ass motherf**ker in the role of Anderson, but also shows significant shades of morality. It was nice to see him in this role right after his James Bond turn as it shows a bit more range from him. Cannon was also great as his lover, even though I felt her character was undercut. The rest of the supporting cast includes a really young Christopher Walken, a very slick Dick Anthony Williams, and an extremely enjoyable Martin Balsam.
Lumet's direction and use of sound is very effective, as he creates this constant sense of paranoia. He often shoots characters from a distance as we hear static sounds, hinting that we're not alone at any moment. The "recruiting" and planning portion of the film was perhaps my favorite part as we get to see how the interaction between all these characters unfold. I think it would've been good to be more aware of the logistics of who's listening on the other side, maybe to create a better balance of who's against who, but the film leaves them in anonymity for the most part.
I also had some slight issues with the whole last act. I think it lacked the pizzaz that the first two acts had. Still, this was a very cool and enjoyable film with some solid performances, likable characters, and a kinetic direction. One that I wouldn't have an issue to put near the top of the Lumet films I've seen.
Grade:
THE ANDERSON TAPES
(1971, Lumet)
A film from Sidney Lumet
(1971, Lumet)
A film from Sidney Lumet
"You want what you can't have. I mean you're always hammering on that locked door."
The Anderson Tapes follows Duke Anderson (Sean Connery), a thief that walks out of a 10-year stint in prison only to plan an elaborate burglary in the apartment building of his girlfriend Ingrid (Dyan Cannon). After getting financed by the Mafia, he recruits a four-man crew for the job. What Anderson doesn't know is that he's the subject of various surveillance groups: the FBI, the IRS, the BNDD, and even a P.I. hired by Ingrid's former wealthy lover.
If you've seen Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, this is pretty much the same vibe (although maybe a tad more serious). Like Clooney, Connery is a cool-ass motherf**ker in the role of Anderson, but also shows significant shades of morality. It was nice to see him in this role right after his James Bond turn as it shows a bit more range from him. Cannon was also great as his lover, even though I felt her character was undercut. The rest of the supporting cast includes a really young Christopher Walken, a very slick Dick Anthony Williams, and an extremely enjoyable Martin Balsam.
Lumet's direction and use of sound is very effective, as he creates this constant sense of paranoia. He often shoots characters from a distance as we hear static sounds, hinting that we're not alone at any moment. The "recruiting" and planning portion of the film was perhaps my favorite part as we get to see how the interaction between all these characters unfold. I think it would've been good to be more aware of the logistics of who's listening on the other side, maybe to create a better balance of who's against who, but the film leaves them in anonymity for the most part.
I also had some slight issues with the whole last act. I think it lacked the pizzaz that the first two acts had. Still, this was a very cool and enjoyable film with some solid performances, likable characters, and a kinetic direction. One that I wouldn't have an issue to put near the top of the Lumet films I've seen.
Grade: