The Heist

"Timing is everything."

In all heist films, time is the key factor in pulling off a successful heist. However, NOTHING ever goes according to plan as is evident not only in heist films but also in life. I teach literature at a local college. I have mapped out everything for myself and students. Of course, there are always changes as the quarter progresses, and I find that my plans are always crossed out, reorganized, rescheduled, etc. So when going into a heist film, expect failure.

 Someone mentioned that the heist itself is a MacGuffin. I couldn't agree more. It's not so much the time that is important, but human frailties. Usually the most minute act is the one domino that pushes all others and advances the plot into a tailspin. Other times it's just a bad decision. Additionally, it's the planning and the character backgrounds that makes the plot that more interesting. These criminals are not your street thieves; they have families, live normal lives, they're highly intelligent. They just prefer to work outside the scope of the law. They also have a moral code. Generally, they don't take innocent lives. I keep thinking about Reservoir Dogs when Mr. Pink and Mr. White converse about killing people

• Mr. Pink: Did you kill anybody?
• Mr. White: A few cops.
• Mr. Pink: No real people?
• Mr. White: Just cops.

I also consider Heat when DeNiro and his crew are irate at the one psychopath (Slick) who needlessly killed an armor truck driver. Contrast this with law enforcement, they are usually portrayed as careless with very little moral values. I think most of the time, how films noir negatively portray law enforcement is usually quite accurate. I may be a little bias here, but I have a high distrust of law enforcement (even my uncles who were corrections officers and a sheriff who lived across the street from me had nothing but disdain for city police). But I digress... Generally, the heist film is more a look at the human condition than the heist act itself. It's also an observation of human response when nothing goes according to plan.

To be continued...