5/4/99
Entrapment stars Sean Connery as Robert MacDougal, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Gin Baker, Ving Rhames as Thibadeaux, Will Patton as Cruz .
Entrapment is a disappointing film from many standpoints. The advertised Chemistry between Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones does not happen. What we're left with is an old script from To Catch a Thief the movie and TV series or several scenes from Hudson Hawk, The Saint, with enough twists to form a pastry. However, they don't add to the story.
Entrapment starts out slowly, and then gets even slower as we are treated to a training session for the intermediate heist. Gin Baker, an insurance investigator, posing as a thief, is out to trap master thief Robert MacDougal. She follows him around, while of course he is having her followed. He confronts her, and she proposes the stealing of a 40 million dollar mask from a museum display. This is where the avoid the laser beam practice session comes in.
After the successful heist of the mask, Gin Baker proposes using the mask to get information for the ultimate 8 billion dollar theft, in the banking center of the world, Malaysia. I forgot to mention this caper has to take place at exactly midnight 1/1/2000. Y2K exploitation is at an all time low. The computer theft of the money has to take place in the two tallest buildings in the world.
This film becomes an ordinary action chase film at this point. The officials chase the thieves and only one person can escape. Robert MacDougal, always the gentleman, allows Gin Baker to escape. He tells her to meet him at the train station the next morning. She does, and the entire plot is revealed within five minutes and cleaned up.
Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones are good actors. The script isn't there to create Chemistry or interest in these characters. Unfortunately like all of us, Sean Connery is aging. His role would have worked better for a younger actor. It would have been more believable.
I give it 2 out of 5 roses: