Review: Entrapment

Entrapment could easily be mistaken for a Bond film. There are exotic locales, high-tech toys, a delicious bombshell and there is Mr. Bond himself: Sean Connery, older and still exuding that manly magnetism.

Entrapment could also be mistaken for a variation of Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Affair, the sleek caper in which the unfailingly fashionable Faye Dunaway matched wiles and wits with the irrepressibly cool Steve McQueen, playing the millionaire who happens to plan perfect heists as a hobby. Entrapment has the advantage of being released before the real remake of The Thomas Crown Affair hits the theaters this summer. The remake stars Rene Russo and the current James Bond, Pierce Brosnan. Battling Bonds. Hmmm.

Entrapment begins in New York, 16 days before the millenium. A priceless Rembrandt, held under the tightest security, is stolen without a hitch. Insurance investigator Virginia Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) believes it to be the work of Mac (Sean Connery), a notorious thief who happens to be fabulously wealthy. Her boss Hector Cruz (Will Patton), finally broken down by her determination, sends her to London to track him down.

Except the wily Mac tracks her down first. She explains herself to be a jewel thief who needs his assistance in stealing the Mask of China, which will be exhibited at Bedford Palace. After giving her a run-through -- which she passes despite botching the situation -- he agrees to take her offer. He trains her to dodge the security lasers that will crisscross throughout the room and how they'll execute the theft. She has no qualms about flirting with him. "Has there ever been anyone you couldn't manipulate, beguile or seduce?" he asks. "No," she smiles.

Zeta-Jones, as Welsh as Connery is Scottish, is blessed with an exoticism that revels in itself. A visual felicity, her feistiness is a good match for Connery's seen-it-all, done-it-all Mac but there are times when she comes off as petulant and a tiny bit out of her league. Director Jon Amiel seems content to let his camera salivate over her sinuous body but Zeta-Jones does provide some substance. On the whole, it's a creditable follow-up to her breakthrough in The Mask of Zorro.

At a little under two hours, Entrapment feels a tad overlong -- perhaps due to the characters' globetrotting. From New York and London to Kuala Lumpur and Japan. The latter is the setting for a Millenium Midnight caper that stands to net them eight billion dollars. Mac's share will only be one billion. "What can you do with seven billion that you can't do with four?" he asks, then holds out his services until she agrees to an even split. The ensuing chaos that arises provides the film with its few suspenseful thrills.

As in Mission: Impossible, Entrapment has several well-done sequences -- the theft of the Mask of China and the Millenium Midnight fiasco -- but very weak scenes in between. There's not much depth or characterization written in and, I don't care how charismatic or convincing an actor you are, there are only so many blanks you can fill. Connery's Mac, for example, hints at a past event that renders him incapable of returning Virginia's feelings. What is that past event and what is it that motivates Virginia to do the things she does?

The first ending (the film has several) promised a bittersweet resolution only to be snatched away by a happier ending. The penultimate scenes, at least, had resonance and brought the film full circle -- a sacrifice is made to allow a thief to share the loot with the solitude so craved. The thief learns that money can't buy you happiness and trust among thieves comes at too high a cost. But Hollywood is the ultimate crook and the happy ending the ultimate con.

Entrapment

Directed by: Jon Amiel

Written by: Ronald Bass, William Broyles, Jr.

Starring: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ving Rhames, Will Patton, Maury Chaykin