The Hot Rock

Based on Donald E. Westlake’s book, The Hot Rock follows Robert Redford’s John Dortmunder as he begins plotting a caper to steal a priceless diamond almost immediately after being released from prison – with the narrative detailing the various problems and setbacks that plague Dortmunder and his cohorts. Filmmaker Peter Yates generally does an effective job of capturing the lighthearted yet briskly-paced tone of Westlake’s (admittedly superior) novel, and it’s clear, too, that The Hot Rock benefits substantially from Redford’s letter-perfect casting as the charismatic Dortmunder. (There’s little doubt, as well, that Yates has elicited seriously strong work from a top-notch supporting cast that includes George Segal and Ron Leibman.) The movie’s episodic structure ultimately paves the way for a consistently entertaining yet somewhat erratic midsection (ie certain sequences manage to pack a far more engrossing punch than others), while the picture’s exciting climactic stretch, which is entirely different from Westlake’s original vision, does ensure that the whole thing concludes on a decidedly positive note – which effectively cements The Hot Rock‘s place as a solid caper that’s perhaps not in the upper echelon of the genre (ie it’s a little on the forgettable side, in the end).

*** out of ****