City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton. Also-starring Famke Jannsen.

Lee Egan (Timothy Hutton) thinks he has got the plan and the crew for the perfect heist of diamonds: he brings in Jorge (Wade Dominguez) – a family man with 2 kids, facing the risk of jail, Lee’s own brother – retired but capable thief Roy (Harvey Keitel) and Skip (Stephen Dorff).

It turns out that Lee really had the right plan, as the crew manages to steal over $3,000,000 worth of loots. However he has chosen a wrong guy –as Skip kills both Lee and Jorge and just misses Roy. Skip runs with all their shares. Now, Roy is pissed and eager to avenge his brother and Skip him pay. His search brings him to Rachel (Famke Janssen), Jorge’s wife. Rachel wants in. She helps Roy find Skip through Jorge’s connections, in return for a cut. With other men after Skip, and Skip’s connections after Roy, and Roy after Skip with vengeance, who will survive and get the money?

***

This is the part I give you the spoilers. Well, they are not really spoilers as this is a typical crime flick and you knew Roy would get the money and save Rachel and all that. So it is a happy ending with the good guy winning. Now, if you are a total Harvey Keitel or a Stephen Dorff fan, I guess there is some fun you can get out of this movie. But if you watch the movie for Timothy Hutton, then you will be disappointed as well, he gets killed early into the story. Famke Jannsen is gorgeous as usual, so I can say that she is the one pretty thing about this otherwise boring film. Yes, it has some good moments but even as a fan of heist and/or revenge films, I found it really slow and boring. Watch it if you don’t have a better alternative. There is also Lucy Liu in a small role.

If you want a smart and original film with Timothy Hutton, watch The Killing Room. If you want to watch him pull off perfect heists and entertain you superbly, watch his series Leverage. And if you do want a brilliant robbery film check out Clive Owen and Denzel Washington’s Inside Man.

Directed by John Irvin, 1997’s City of Industry is rated at 6.0 on IMDB. 4/10 from me.

And no, I have no idea why Timothy Hutton is on the poster and not Famke.

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The Shadow Dancer, starring Joshua Jackson, Harvey Keitel and Claire Forlani

Jeremy Taylor (Joshua Jackson) is a young writer sent to Tuscany, Italy by the publishing company. His mission is to find Weldon Parish (Harvey Keitel); a seasoned and well-respected writer who hasn’t been writing for some time and to help his writer’s block disappear and get him to write again. But Weldon doesn’t want to write. He has lost his wife sometime ago and he keeps his (writer’s) office under lock. He enjoys the country and the company of his three daughters. So at first he doesn’t take Jeremy’s intrusion well and puts the young man to several weird and amusing (to the audience) tests. But Jeremy’s persistence pays off. Weldon starts letting him hang around. He is also having fun with the fact that Jeremy is falling for his daughter, Isabella (Claire Forlani).

Jeremy and Weldon challenge one another and each wants the other one to write. They both have their reservations and their friendship leads to lovely decisions on both sides.

The film is a romantic drama with some funny events attached. It is set in the ever beautiful Italy. Harvey Keitel is wonderful as always.

Joshua Jackson has grown up and proving that he can take on different roles rather than just teenage rebels. If you are in your 20s, you have probably watched Dawson’s Creek at one point. I did, although I do feel some level of guilty pleasure admitting it. The first seasons had hit home with the characters’ angst and disappointments and expectations. Joshua Jackson played the rebellious and sarcastic Pacey. He came a long way from dating his then co-star Katie Holmes (now Mrs. Tom Cruise). Last time I checked, he was living with his elegant girlfriend Diane Kruger (Troy, National Treasure). Sure, Joshua had to go through all the phases of a popular (and cute) young actor had to go through: teen-slashers (Urban Legend, were-wolf movie Cursed), Scream 2. But thankfully, he got the chance to show versatility. He played in Gossip (2000). It is a very solid thriller and it is definitely not a teen-slasher. He also played in Cruel Intentions (1999); a modern adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons. Now, Cruel Intentions is decent and very appealing with its sexy power plays but Joshua got the most colorful role. He plays the gay best friend of the lead character’s best friend. So yes, it seems like Joshua Jackson is not doomed. He can shake off the “curse” of Dawson’s Creek and move on.

Claire Forlani is a good actress. She is not the best out there but she is lovely and very pretty. I first saw her in Meet Joe Black (co-starring along Brad Pitt). It looks like she is a little doomed: she just fits in with emotional parts. But hey, she does pull off romance well. And in this movie, she just looks at home in Italy. After all, she is half-Italian in real life.

My favorite character in the movie though has to be Father Moretti; played by Giancarlo Giannini. You might remember him as the traditional father from A Walk in The Clouds, giving Keanu Reeves’ Paul hell.

Back to the movie at hand: The scenery is beautiful, and the story is lovely. The movie is a little slow but it is still fun to watch. Just don’t watch it if you are in the mood for something fast.

Favorite scene: The dance scene between Jeremy and Isabella. Written and directed by Brad Mirman (2005).

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