The Anderson Tapes
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Movie Reviews of The Anderson Tapes
Movie Review: The Anderson Tapes
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this movie about a year ago in VHS format its before I bought my new
HDTV. I couldn't find the movie must have misplaced it along the way
so I reordered it this time in DVD format that movie hold up today as it did when it first came out I can really pick them I would still give this movie ****
stars and it looks real good on my new HDTV.
Movie Review: "When you rob a guy who's got insurance, you're doing him a favor."
Summary: 3 Stars
If you're not a fan of political correctness, and I'm not, you will love this thing. haw haw haw
Subtle and bleak look at the future of surveillance and Big Brother. Sean Connery does 10 years in the joint, gets out on the same day with Christopher Walken, finds his ex girlfriend who lives rent free in an exclusive Manhattan apartment building, takes care of bidness, then while walking around in Dyan Cannon's robe (minus most of his hair), decides to rob the building.
Great ensemble cast including Martin Balsam as a hilarious gay "decorator" who helps case the joint, and Garret Morris of Saturday Nite Live fame in an even more bizarre role as a police sergeant given the task of rappelling across the street with a makeshift SWAT team to rescue the building from Connery and his makeshift crew of crooks. Outstanding story that is totally marred by the annoying soundtrack and the constant reminder that "you are being watched!" Stupid tones and chimes galore with shots of video cameras everywhere and FBI all over the place recording phone calls and sexual this and that between Connery and Dyan Cannon who looks terrific, just wish we'd seen more of her and that body!
I'd never heard of this flick before and now I understand why. Some excellent moments and performances that just get overridden by this goofy insertion of futuristic ding-donging that seemingly never ends, but I know what Lumet was going for. They even used the same font on the credits you will find on James Caan's Rollerball and Logan's Run. You know that computer generated font that everybody in Hollywood thought was going to be used in the year 2100? Anyway, its worth checking out, just don't expect to be blown away. 3 Safes
Movie Review: a rare lumet miss
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a big fan of director Lumet, particularly of his work from the '60s and '70s ('12 Angry Men,' 'Long Day's Journey,' 'The Hill,' 'The Pawnbroker,' 'Serpico,' 'Orient Express,' 'Dog Day Afternoon,' and his masterpiece, 'Network,' among others), but I find 'Anderson Tapes' clunky, dated and generally missing the point. As a caper film, it's poorly constructed and rather maladroitly edited. There is no real effort made to set up the logistics of the robbery or establish the characters of the quirky group involved, and that lack of groundwork renders the heist itself, which is badly executed and ultimately botched, barely interesting to watch and almost entirely devoid of suspense. Now, that could be forgiven in the context of what should have been the larger satirical message of the movie: the inability of the various 'big brother' entities-- which paradoxically rely upon their impressive techno-toys in lieu of good detective or communications work-- eavesdropping on the planning of the proceedings to connect the dots and foil the nefarious plot (sound familiar?). However, this clever thematic thread is dropped halfway through and gets picked up again only as an ending joke, leaving the audience with rather an unsatisfied feeling. Connery, looking prematurely shopworn, is OK but not utilized to any great effect; Walken is very good but underdeveloped; and Dyan Cannon seems to have been thrown in for no particular reason save a minor plot device (and some skin). I even found Quincy Jones's score intrusive and out of place. As another reviewer points out, the highlight of the film are the excellent glimpses of 1970s NYC. I'm being generous in giving it three stars.Movie Review: Great for 1971 NYC but not much else
Summary: 3 Stars
Other reviews here that say this movie isn't dated are hard to take serious. All I could think of while watching was how many holes there were in the plot that would never be there even 5 years later. Martin Balsam uses his real name and place of business when casing the apartment. They use a dim, alcoholic old-timer to be look-out? They do everything that will guarantee they will get identified. Look I know it was 1971 but this is Sydney Lumet lite and I'm sure he was not proud of this. I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid and thinking that all the taping and surveillance was very cool. Looking at it now it was very amaturish. Having grown up in NYC it was great to see old ny-St. Anthony's Church downtown. The building on 91st St which in this day and age would be lived in by multi-billionaires with hi-tech security. Of course the streets on ny in this movie were deserted (unbelievable). The use of Garret Morris and his crack TPA police squad was also a stretch. This was an enjoyable light movie of it's time that really has dated very badly. Even the acting other than Connery and Balsam is not really good. But...with a post-007 sean and a hot Dyan Cannnon together there is some value in this movie.
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