The Anderson Tapes

The original is a classic heist genre about the preparation and subsequent execution of a theoretically clever plan, which, however, is processed entirely through testimonies of witnesses, newspaper articles and especially transcripts of records from those tapes from different newspaper agencies. However, it is adapted as a traditionally conceived movie, which initially tries to incorporate a kind of social reflection of "Big Brother" into the heist movie, but it doesn't fit there at all (on top of that, there´s that annoying and overused early seventies sound of "electronics", ouch). Perhaps, it would have not been so annoying if it had been for a reason in the story line. But there´s no reason for this sound at all, because Lumet ens this line after about an hour anyway. Leaving aside this failed ambition, we are left with the civilian genre movie about ambitious robbery which did now go exactly according the plan with great cast that is nice to watch especially in the second half. (27/08/2017)

The eavesdropping technique may be slightly outdated, but the idea of this film is definitely not - quite the opposite. Alas. In The Anderson Tapes, I really liked Sean Connery, who this time didn't play the typical good guy, Quincy Jones' strange music, and especially the second half of the film, which is taken up by a fantastically shot heist that Sidney Lumet has a blast with. And the slightly chilling ending. It’s too bad about the terrible TV dubbing. I'd like to read the book. (07/07/2013)

Had this movie not looked so American, I might have thought I was watching a French crime film. This flick in unusually brutal and it’s made in such a brilliant way that it is a worthy competition for similar French affairs. The characters, unfortunately, are a level lower, but all in all this movie still deserves a four-star rating. (19/12/2014)

I have heard that the chosen casting makes this film above average. I disagree. What makes this film above average in my eyes is the clever and original screenplay, although the casting also plays its part and the actors do their best. Thanks to the screenplay, the film would work similarly even without Connery in the lead role. After all, his character is everything but a typical Bond hero, and he stands out, like many others, from all established templates of crime films. While watching the film, I thought of the connection with Dog Day Afternoon. There are hundreds of films about bank robberies, but only one Dog Day Afternoon. Lumet can operate on the edge of several genres for me. In Dog Day Afternoon, he managed to subtly shift from a comedic tone to an existential drama. In this case, he describes a bold armed robbery in broad daylight, believable and impressive, without resorting to popular flashy and shocking screenwriting tricks or clichéd filler. A purely comical scene, where the victims of the robbery rejoice in the crime that dispelled their boredom, is quickly replaced by human blood and the tragedy of human death. In addition, Lumet smuggled in a sarcastic social critique, because that is actually what the recordings are about, and they are important. Along with Coppola's film The Conversation, Lumet's The Anderson Tapes is one of the films that pay attention to the loss of privacy and eavesdropping, which favors those who own "ears and eyes." Lumet's film is not as atmospheric as The Conversation, but it has a faster pace and is more entertaining. Compared to the much more famous and better-rated but, in my opinion, bland and tasteless Serpico, The Anderson Tapes seems much more audience-friendly and functional. Overall impression: 90%. (29/04/2013)