After the lightweight Hollywood satire State and Main, writer/director David Mamet cranks up the suspense with his crack at a genre picture: the one-last-job heist. Gene Hackman is the boat-building master thief planning retirement with moll Rebecca Pidgeon while his method of escape waits in the harbour. Typically, caper organiser Danny DeVito foists nervy nephew Sam Rockwell on Hackman's regular crew and the seemingly infinite double-crosses start rolling from there. As ever, Mamet's overcooked dialogue crackles, especially when delivered by Hackman, DeVito and fellow thief Delroy Lindo, and his eye for plot detail is acute. If there is a weak link in this otherwise gripping, intelligent and patient tale, it's the climactic shoot-out where a more skilful action director than Mamet was required. Prime stuff, if easier to second guess than the superior Spanish Prisoner.

Joe Moore has a job he loves. He's a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman, reneges on the money he's owed, and his wife may be betraying him with the fence's young lieutenant. Moore and his partner, Bobby Blane, and their utility man, Pinky Pincus, find themselves broke, betrayed, and blackmailed. Moore is forced to commit his crew to do one last big job.