Rough Cut

Cat burglar Jack Rhodes (Burt Reynolds) is at a high class party to steal jewels only to be scooped by Gillian Bromley (Lesley-Anne Down). He is immediately taken with her. He recruits her into his gang for a big job. She is actually a secret informer sent by Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Cyril Willis (David Niven).

Burt is trying to get by with his natural charms. It works to some extent but this movie is doomed from the start. Gillian working for Cyril should have been revealed much later. Gillian revealing that to Jack is even more problematic. One of the bad results is the lack of caper planning. That's one of the joys of a caper movie. The characters have fun planning and setting it all up. Instead, we're left with only Burt and Lesley frolicking and doing next to nothing. Any fun with the beginning gets slowly drained away. Another result from the lack of planning fun is not following the caper. First it's a plane chase and then it's a car chase. I don't think the caper actually makes sense and the final twist makes it complete non-sense. All that is left is an extremely charming Burt Reynolds.

For poor David Niven, ROUGH CUT turned out to be the second heist comedy centering on diamond thieves where he gets lost in the mix: First of course was THE PINK PANTHER as the charming, sophisticated criminal with lawman Peter Sellers historically stealing the show, and here Niven himself is the dogged constable yet the entire picture belongs to Burt Reynolds and Lesley-Anne Down playing the suave burglars...

And although directed mostly by American edgy auteur Don Siegel and starring the American box office champ Reynolds, this British-set CUT has the witty pace and polished style of that country's crime-comedy genre including polite expository banter, lavish interior sets and plenty of champagne...

As the best scenes occur during the first half when Reynolds (initially seducing Susan Littler) and Down (who instantly catches his eye) are both figuring a way out of Niven's built-in blackmail, threatening to expose her prior classy-crookedness if she doesn't secretly help bust Burt's Jack Rhodes, the one villain who'd always gotten away...

After which the 11th hour diamond heist/con is overly complicated for both the girl caught in-between, and the audience who, in expecting another Reynolds popcorn-action flick, gets a semi-entertaining old fashion 1940's-in-the-1970's caper -- that needed much more of an edge (from both the director and its star) to give this proverbial clever riddle a more fulfilling punchline.

Burt Reynolds was a better actor than he is given credit for, but I suspect his dramatic ambitions were not high. In any case, this is the kind of witty action movie he excelled in. We have here a superb cast, carried by Reynolds and David Niven, and a heist story whose improbabilities can be ignored in favor of the sheer pleasure of watching things progress to a surprise ending. Production values are first rate. This is the kind of light-hearted, intelligent entertainment we don't see much of anymore. A most enjoyable way to fritter away a couple of hours.

Don Siegel assembled a good cast together and did a terrific job directing Rough Cut. Especially with Burt Reynolds doing a bad Cary Grant imitation for Lesley Anne Down setting the stage. He reminded me of Cary and she of Grace Kelly from To Catch A Thief. Add David Niven to the mix and this film is a winner.

Niven is a chief inspector for Scotland Yard and de for retirement and a rocking chair. But before he goes he's going to get Reynolds a known thief he hasn't been able to touch because Reynolds is so darn clever. But he has a libido and Niven blackmails another jewel thief Lesley Anne Down to keep tabs on him. She does in every way she can.

Nice location cinematography in London and Amsterdam One interesting moment was when Niven at a low moment appears drunk and disheveled. Highly unusual for that most unflappable of actors.

And the ending, a complete surprise. he closest I can think of is Joe Mankiewicz's western There Was A Crooked Man, a western with some dark comedy moments, a considerably darker film than Rough Cut. But the endings are similar and this one will floor you.

This one is a real delight.

Picture this: Burt Reynolds is at a decadent party. He spies Leslie-Anne Down in a sequined black dress and is determined to meet her. Neither of them speak, until at last, Burt opens his mouth and does his best Cary Grant impersonation. She smiles and asks, "Why are you doing Tony Curtis?" If you laughed just now, you'll like Rough Cut.

Burt catches Leslie stealing diamonds at the party, and he surreptitiously steals them from her a few minutes later. To get them back, she follows him back to his apartment and tries to stealthily rob him. Sparks fly, and he asks her on a date. In the next scene, she visits Chief Inspector David Niven; it turns out, she's cooperating with the police to catch Burt, a notorious jewel thief!

Rough Cut is a constant game of cat-and-mouse and who's-playing-who, so if you like those types of movies, you'll love this one. It's funny and full of twists and turns in the plot-and everyone is easy to root for! Rent this for a cute date night with your sweetie pie; it'll be a lot of fun.