Article: GENE HACKMAN CAN'T SAVE HACKNEYED MAMET FILM.(L.A. Life)(Review)

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

David Mamet has always been in love with his own words, and there was a time when he had something interesting to say about the human condition. But with his last movie, the bland Hollywood send-up ``State and Main'' and his latest, a by-the-numbers caper movie called ``Heist,'' Mamet's words have increasingly rung hollow. He's still capable of writing spicy one-liners, but his story-telling abilities (or inclinations) have largely fallen by the wayside.

``Heist'' is similar to this summer's ``The Score'' in that it concerns an aging thief looking to make one last haul before retirement. Here, the crook in question is ...

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