Entrapment - DVD > Reviews > Im back

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
Soundtrack	Unmemorable

Advantages:	Great acting, superb ever - twisting storyline, enjoyable, fairly cheap to buy, always keeps you guessing .
Disadvantages:	Unbelieveable when actually considered, not many good special features at all, weak timing in story  -  action doesn't occur until right at the end .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Never judge a book by its cover. Or, as I am sure the phrase is soon to be changed, a DVD by its case. Either way, even though the saying is often clichéd and over-used, it most certainly applies in this case. 'Entrapment' may look like another rushed and predictable American money-grabber of a film, released merely as an excuse to take millions at the box office and video sales on both sides of the Atlantic, but, despite the opinion of many critics, I feel that this film has something more to offer than the average action movie. Once you begin to watch it, in fact, you appreciate the perfection of which this well acted, fast-moving blockbuster can quite confidently boast.

The story is set a few weeks before the Millennium, where a potentially fraudulent insurance firm employee, Gin Baker (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), is attempting to frame a renowned worldwide robber for a recently committed art theft, which she actually carried out herself. In an attempt to make a scapegoat of the man and take the pressure off of herself, she goes in pursuit of him to 'catch him in the act', under the permission of the insurance firm, who don't know that Gin is using them to get her own way, whilst persuading Robert 'Mac' McDougal (played by Sean Connery), that she isn't on the firm's side.

To cut a rather ridiculously long and complicated story slightly shorter, the two work together on a number of heists, all of which are well-planned-out and near-foolproof, in an effort to become stupidly rich and succeed in the world of fraudulent insurance (as robbers of course). They then fall in love, bringing a romantic element to the film as well, cleverly portrayed to make sure that this doesn't overpower the sense of action in the film in any way.

Despite the rather unreasonably high amount of money involved, and the insane and quite obvious incompetence of the SWAT teams, police and insurance firms in catching the criminals, the movie is very believable. Not only this, but it is involving, giving you the whole story; as it develops from the start, we see the progression from relatively minor thefts to major hauls.

To keep the plot moving, and to add an element of interest to the otherwise relatively predictable storyline, a number of unforeseeable plot changes are included, as in any good movie – the difference in this movie being that there are often false clues given as to the outcome of the film within these plot changes - you can never quite be sure who is on which side (for example, whether or not Gin is in fact, an undercover spy or a thief) until the very last scene. Even then, there is one more unsuspected twist in the ending.

Action is, quite obviously, a focal point of the movie. Although there are many scenes that show the planning and the training being carried out in preparation for each heist, there are, of course, the big-action scenes, the biggest being a few scenes from the end at the climax of the movie. And although you wouldn't necessarily expect it in a film of this nature, the acting is superb throughout, not least in the conflict that is so accurately portrayed between the characters. Both Sean and Catherine, established actors in their own right, do work well as a couple, as I imagine most people wouldn't suspect.

So with all the excitement and great acting in the movie, there has to be one thing wrong with it. And I'm afraid there is. As well-planned and intricate as the plot may be, and as brilliant the acting and movement amongst the entire cast, the whole thing takes far to long to get moving, and the main portion of the movie is packed into a quarter-hour, making the two halves of the movie disproportionably balanced.

As for the DVD itself, and the features that it possesses - it’s fairly mediocre. Neither deleted scenes nor interviews are included, only a documentary on the production, and the option to watch the 108 minute masterpiece in a selection of 12 languages, most of which you probably won’t understand, certainly not unless you are fluent in Finnish, Hungarian and Czech.

Even though there are a couple of down points here and there, the general quality of the film is excellent, and it is certainly well worth a look at. For fans of Mr Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, or just simply action film buffs, this is a necessity to have in the collection. As for anyone else – try not to think of it as a film you know you won’t enjoy and you’ll love it!