Rough Cut (1980)

Strong and Moving!

Simply A Masterpiece

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Absolutely Fantastic

Picture this: Burt Reynolds is at a decadent party. He spies Leslie-Anne Down in a sequined black dress and is determined to meet her. Neither of them speak, until at last, Burt opens his mouth and does his best Cary Grant impersonation. She smiles and asks, "Why are you doing Tony Curtis?" If you laughed just now, you'll like Rough Cut. Burt catches Leslie stealing diamonds at the party, and he surreptitiously steals them from her a few minutes later. To get them back, she follows him back to his apartment and tries to stealthily rob him. Sparks fly, and he asks her on a date. In the next scene, she visits Chief Inspector David Niven; it turns out, she's cooperating with the police to catch Burt, a notorious jewel thief! Rough Cut is a constant game of cat-and-mouse and who's-playing-who, so if you like those types of movies, you'll love this one. It's funny and full of twists and turns in the plot-and everyone is easy to root for! Rent this for a cute date night with your sweetie pie; it'll be a lot of fun.

Another enjoyably hearty Burt Reynolds vehicle to the long-winded comedy caper list, but making it more a welcoming ride is a strong cast along side him with David Niven, Lesley-Ann Down and Patrick Magee. Director Don Siegel serviceably lets it flow without much structure, as the crafty story has its twists and turns with its clever façade before finally revealing its trump cards. An aging Scotland Yard detective Chief Insp. Cyril Willis is coming towards retirement, but before calling it a day he has plans of capturing Jack Rhodes an American jewel thief that throughout his career has always been one step ahead. So in comes a beautiful lady, which is part of the plan to nab his man. But what blossoms is unexpected.Tailored like an old-fashioned romance comedy, "Rough Cut" is all about a laconically lounging Reynolds sweeping the gorgeous Lesley Ann-Down off her feet, while finding some time to organise a quick in and out heist of some diamonds. Sometimes the tone can be jumpy, but everything feels like its on cruise-control with Siegel's automatic handling, especially when it comes to the excitement and dangers of the job. The witty script is where the rapid fire comes from. However the action when it arrives is masterfully shot. It's smooth and magnetic, just like the performances. The interplay between the cast works. Reynolds plays it dry and confident. A sexy Down is a complete delight and Niven only adds to the wilily fun.

In his long lists of wonderful movies, Mr. David Niven has given audiences some real gems, this is among those which did not market very well, but has become a notable jewel. Niven plays an English Inspector who has tallied a great number of criminals. One however has continued to elude him for twenty years. Mr Jack Rhodes (Burt Reynolds) is the one Jewel thief he hopes to arrest before he is forced into retirement. To do that he extorts the services of Gillian Bromley (Lesley-Anne Down) another jewel thief. Her task is to lure Rhodes into a heist with a snare. The movie, Directed by Don Siegel, has many copy-cats such as 'jack of Diamonds' 'Entrapment' and 'Thomas Crown Affair.' In each is danger, interest and romance, but with this version, comedy become the additional element. Reynolds and Niven work well together and in doing so carry this film well. With good character actors like Patrick Magee and Timothy West, the story written by Larry Gelbart (MASH) fits well for all fans. As a result Reynolds and Niven create amusing fanfare for everybody. ****

Very ordinary indeed. There is almost nothing to separate this film from dozens of similar capers. There are bits of sophisticated dialogue and phlegmatic humor, but most of the time the film comes off as a poor imitation of its superior predecessors (Hitchcock's "To Catch A Thief" comes to mind). Unfortunately, director Don Siegel is not in top form and the film often feels too low-key and lacks energy. But Reynolds's charm is at its zenith here, and his pretty good byplay with David Niven provides some funny moments.