Lassiter

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.

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.

I love Tom Selleck's early movies where he was clearly willing to take a chance. Once he began his career into western type movies the boredom set in for me. This was a risky movie to make, but he clearly succeeded! Great mystery, fun story line, and I never saw the ending forecast. Beware of full nudity if that bothers you. There's enough violence if you find that less threatening than the peacefulness and beauty of the human body.

Set in pre WWII London, this story is based on the reputation of an established American cat burglar caught in a police frame to steal Nazi diamonds. Lassiter's solution is brilliant and, for me, completely unpredicted. Marvelous! Watch and enjoy. See if you can figure out what's REALLY going on!

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.

Selleck is slick as a jewel thief in London in this lavish action/mystery, but the film suffers from a predictable plot and weak supporting performances. Most obvious is that of sexy Lauren Hutton, who shines best when she doesn't speak.