Review: ‘Flawless’ on DVD

There’s no shortage of heist films out there, but every once in a while we get to see a good one with some originality. Michael Radford‘s Flawless isn’t as stylistically hip as the recently released The Bank Job, but the creativity shines through in the story.

Demi Moore returns to the screen as Laura Quinn, a senior negotiator with London Diamond Exchange in the 60’s. Quinn has repeatedly been passed over for promotion because she’s a woman and she’s beginning to get rather sore about the whole situation. She’s smarter and more ambitious than most of the men who’ve excelled despite her attempts, but she continues to strive to make her mark with the company’s big shots. Quinn daydreams of ways to make off with a few parting gifts if she should ever severe her ties with the company, but can’t get past the fear of it all. That is until she gets an after hours visit from Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), the company’s janitor. Hobbs proposes a seemingly impossible plan to heist just enough diamonds for the two of them to retire comfortably, playing on her emotions of disappointment. Quinn reluctantly agrees to assist Hobbs in his plan, but when things turn out differently than Hobbs had led her to believe she must determine which side she wants to ride the storm out with.

The story of Flawless is so well told that I actually felt on several occasions that this could have been based on a true story. There’s really nothing in the movie that is a stretch of one’s disbelief, but it still manages to maintain one’s attention, drawn into the caper as the secrets unravel right before Quinn’s eyes. Michael Caine is fabulous as usual [the primary reason I wanted to see this film] and Moore makes a triumphant return to the big screen. [Its not the first film she’s done since 1997, but its probably her best.] The cinematography is wonderful, presenting a necessary atmosphere to create the illusion of 1960’s London. Radford has made a great little heist film that is more concerned with the suspense and character development than the heist itself.

[rating:4/5]