Flawless – DVD Review

Film, Reviews, Top Story

flawless
Available at Amazon.com

The problem with the modern day bank heist film is that it’s a lot more complicated to rob a bank now than it was even 20 years ago. With the sophisticated technology available in banks for security, robbing one is markedly difficult. The strong arm robbery, where a bunch of guys with guns bust in and out quickly, is the easiest to portray on film because they’re always be someone with guns looking for a quick score. But the art of the heist is a much more technical one, involving sophisticated computers and technology, than one involving cunning and guile. It’s no wonder film-makers have to make the modern heist film more about the personalities (The Ocean’s trilogy) than the job itself or has to be set up as a period piece (The Bank Job). Breaking into a bank for a massive score requires technology and expertise that doesn’t lend itself to the cinema. Flawless works much better in the 1960s than it could today because of the sophistication of security technology in the present; hence the setting back four decades ago.

Flawless follows the story of two embittered diamond brokerage employees with a grudge looking to take their piece from the company they both feel has screwed them over. Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine) is a janitor on the verge of retirement and doesn’t want to leave empty handed. Ms. Quinn (Demi Moore) is a hard-working executive continually passed up for promotion for men who aren’t of her caliber. Needing each other, they conspire to steal some diamonds to get back at the company they both work for. But complications arise after the heist, leading to an interesting finale.

The film itself captures the period wonderfully. Perhaps beaten to the punch by The Bank Job, covering the same time period and the same genre, the film is a caper that has a lot more twists and turns than the genre normally provides. The point of the film isn’t the heist itself; the heist is merely a plot device in a character study about two people who do a wrong thing for very different reasons.

The film itself is a spectacular-looking period piece. It nails all the particulars in appearance, from the clothes to small things like accessories. There isn’t a thing out of place as the film feels like its straight out of the early 1960s. The atmosphere of the film is remarkable, and Michael Radford develops the film with the atmosphere in mind. This isn’t a throwback to a genre film from the time period, but it’s an interesting take on it using a modern perspective.

It also has a standout performance from an unlikely source: Demi Moore. While Caine is his usual solid self, it’s Moore who provides a terrific performance in a genre piece. Long noted for her tabloid appearances, as opposed to her acting, Moore has usually been an actress who gets by because of her appearance. You don’t star in a film like Striptease without having the body to back it up. This time around, in a conservative outfit that emphasizes everything but her sex appeal, she provides the goods in terms of her acting for a change. We like her character and sympathize with her plight early on not because we’re supposed to, but because Moore is a likeable protagonist.

Flawless is a solid heist film, then, and worthy of a viewing.

Presented in a Dolby Digital surround sound with a widescreen presentation, the film has a terrific presentation. This is a great presentation, as the film doesn’t have a wide variety of color but the transfer is spectacular looking. The audio itself is mainly dialogue driven, but the few pieces of scoring come through any competent system solidly.

Exploring the Facets: A Behind the Scenes Look is a look at the making of the film. The feature, which runs 12 minutes, is relatively detailed as the film-makers discuss certain things they did. A lot of what they did was to make the film look like a ’60s heist film in terms of its lighting and sound, going for a softer colors and less contrasts to make the color palette look like a Technicolor film, as well as in style as the film crew worked a lot to make everything look like it came from the time period. It’s fascinating to hear them talk about how much they had to work to make the film look like early 1960s London on a fairly limited budget; this clearly as a labor of love as everyone seems to have loved working on this film.

While The Bank Job was the better heist film and had a wide release, as opposed to the limited release Flawless received with no expansion or advertising, it wasn’t the only British heist film released in 2008. Flawless may not be as good, but it’s a worthy companion.

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Magnolia Home Entertainment presents Flawless. Directed by Michael Radford. Starring Demi Moore, Michael Caine. Written by Edward A Anderson. Running time: 109 minutes. Rated PG-13. Released on DVD: June 3, 2008. Available at Amazon.com