Lassiter: la gran trampa

Tom Selleck; best known for the 1980s cop TV show "Magnum P.I." and of course for his signature mo. But in the middle of that series he starred in a classy, old-fashion crime caper which sees him as jewel thief Nick Lassiter working in London in the 1930s, but one day he's arrested by Scotland Yard and blackmailed into stealing a large quantity of diamonds that's kept in the heavily guarded Germany embassy and is looked after by Hitler's cruel, but seductive secret agent Kari Von Fursten.

What made the film for me were the performances. Selleck is fitting in the main role as Lassiter; suave, but dogged. Who really stood out though were the ladies; Jane Seymour and especially Lauren Hutton. A hypnotic Seymour brought a sweet innocence to her role as Lassiter's dancer girlfriend, while the very seductively edgy Hutton was the opposite in her kinky femme fatal part. In support there were solid character actors; Joe Regalbuto, Bob Hoskins, Ed Lauter and a burly Warren Clarke as a German bodyguard. Watching how the breezy story unfolds is predictable (although clever in its schemes and throwbacks), but the engrossing script (Whom playing whom), character interactions and planned-out scenarios (numerous instances of caught between a rock and a hard place) are enjoyably digestible and humorously sharp. The direction is trim, but fashionably tailored with good locations and period details. Catchy theme song during the end credits too.

This is the first movie I ever reviewed in my hobby/career as a movie critic. When I first viewed it, I wasn't impressed. It's one of those movies that you'll find is better with a second viewing. It has interesting characters and while it has a copycat scene right out of 'The Sting', it is still an entertaining romp set in pre World War II Europe with impressive sets, costumes and the Nazi element thrown in as villains for great conflict. A worthwhile movie to view and to be taken for what it is. Selleck is very good but the best character in the film is an English police officer played by Bob Hoskins.

Lassiter stars Tom Selleck and Bond-girl Jane Seymour. Lassiter, like Bond gets into similar situations and in the end triumphs over the enemy. Lassiter has action, beautiful stars, acting, and enough plot to keep it going. It's not perfect, nor a hidden gem, but it should not be forgotten either. It's worth an evening and a bag of popcorn.

Lassiter has all the ingredients of a great film: a great caper, good leads, an interesting setting, action, and romance. What it didn't have was a budget to do the production justice, and an overabundance of tv actors.

Lassiter is basically an attempt to cash in on Tom Selleck's fame on Magnum PI, and his loss of the role of Indiana Jones. The film is set in the same time period as Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the same villains, the Nazis. Instead of a swashbuckling archaeologist, Selleck is a slick jewel thief, Nick Lassiter. Instead of being recruited by the government to recover a treasure, he is blackmailed. However, this is no ode to the Republic serials; no, this is an ode to the caper films of yesterday, with a little To Catch a Thief thrown in for good measure.

Selleck's Nick Lassiter is an American jewel thief, living and operating in London. When not stealing from high society, he enjoys the good life. Selleck looks good in his period costumes, like he belongs. He brings charm and humor to the role, the perfect blend for a gentleman thief.

Jane Seymour is his love interest, a dancer. Seymour is beautiful as always and makes the most of a limited role.

Lauren Hutton gets the juicier role of the Nazi courier and kinky assassin. Hutton plays this decadent role to the hilt, if a bit over the top.

Finally, Bob Hoskins is a London cop who concocts the frame-up that forces Lassiter to attempt to steal Nazi diamonds. This is one of Hoskins earlier film roles and he easily steals the movie. He's not a likable character, but he keeps your interest.

The rest of the cast is filled primarily with tv actors, like Joe Regalbuto and Ed Lauter. They are fine actors, but don't bring the same level to their character roles that the better film actors do. Their appearance has more to do with budget than talent.

The film was co-financed by Raymond Chow, of Golden Harvest, which explains the low budget. Had this been a bigger studio picture, with stronger supporting characters, it could have been a great hit. Instead, it is an entertaining minor film, which appears to steal from James Bond and Indiana Jones. It looks like it was made for tv, and works better on the small screen. The music is of the period, and makes a welcome change from more modern music. The end credits feature a song from Taco. For those not acquainted with 80's New Wave, Taco was an odd performer who mixed New Wave sounds with Cole Porter and other Jazz Age songs. He had the perfect voice for those songs, but the end result was more amusing than memorable.

This is a fine film to watch on a rainy Saturday afternoon, or when sick in bed. It brings a smile to your face, as long as your expectations aren't too high.

Playing the title role of Lassiter in this film is Tom Selleck at the height of his television stardom with Magnum, PI. He's an American expatriate now living in London and making a nice living as a society burglar. He must have understudied with Raffles.

But he's got one confirmed enemy in Scotland Yard's Inspector Bob Hoskins. You can see how pained he is when British Intelligence and our own FBI in the person of Joe Regalbuto want him for his services in burglarizing the German Embassy in that year or so when Neville Chamberlain declared peace in our time and World War II actually began.

Selleck is a lot less unflappable than he is as Magnum. That's because Hoskins is just itching to nail him if something goes wrong. There are two prominent female parts, Jane Seymour as the good girl and Lauren Hutton doing her best Marlene Dietrich imitation as full time Nazi seductress and a real man killer literally.

Jewels is his game and a fortune in gems the Germans are known to keep in their embassy is what the British want. They say the sale of the swag will finance all kinds of subversion. Selleck might have alternate uses in mind.

Playing a small but very key role is fellow expatriate Ed Lauter who used to be a bootlegger in the States along with Selleck but left for the United Kingdom where the cops don't carry guns and therefore not likely to shoot you. Lauter is a wheel man and that fact plus the fact that their police don't carry weapons is key to how Selleck pulls the caper off.

Lassiter is a lighthearted caper film and a caper pulled against the most evil of villains is something always the audience will like.