Thriller Delivers Goods

by Jason R. Hewlett

It's a rare thing when we get an action-thriller that realize on thrills and excitement without violence...or at least a minimal amount of it. I'm actually hard pressed to remember such a film like that since "Speed" five years ago. However, the new Sean Connery film "Entrapment" has delivered just that and pulled it off well. It's also given us a good, solid thriller that. Along with "The Matrix," has started the summer movie season on a good note. Hopefully Hollywood can keep it up.

Sean Connery plays Mac, a suave thief that, despite his age, is very adept at the art of master thievery. He becomes the target of an insurance investigator named Gin, played by the sultry Catherine Zeta-Jones, who tries to entrap him by posing as a master thief herself. At least that's how it all looks at the beginning.

However, things soon begin to warp in such a way that it's hard to tell who's the good guy (or gal), and who's the bad guy (or gal) and who's trying to double-cross who. It may sound a bit contrived or even complex but it's al allot of fun in the end. Ron Bas and Michael Hertzberg's script has a few moments where of implausibility and slow pacing but the story is so slickly told by director Jon Amiel that we forgive any shortcomings.

Of course we can't forget the cast. Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones are both very good in this movie and have a fine chemistry/sexual tension between them. She's about half his age but we still believe the romance that buds between them because they are both so darn believable in their roles. Connery comes across like an older James Bond, only he's a thief. Zeta-Jones exudes a natural charm and spunk that is irresistible. Also good is Ving Rhames as Connery's partner in crime. To be honest, I've never seen Rhames do a bad job.

Again, I'm also impressed by the level of excitement that can be generated without needing to riddle bodies with bullets or blowup property. I think such a task requires more imagination on the part of the screenwriter and director and I'm glad the people behind "Entrapment" have that imagination. I love a good shoot 'em up but it's nice to see something different that's done well.

Take for example the three major heists in the film. All three outdo any heist we've seen before in the movies. Jon Amiel plays these three heists with the same pumped-up rush that we'd see in any action sequence or car chase. He has us on the edge of our seats during these sequences and we don't see a gun go off or building blowup. We don't need too.

6 out of 10!