The Maiden Heist
A comedy centered on three museum security guards who devise a plan to steal back the artworks to which they have become attached after they are transferred to another museum.
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- Cast:
- Morgan Freeman , Christopher Walken , William H. Macy , Marcia Gay Harden , Philip Dorn Hebert , Todd Weeks , Bhavesh Patel
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Reviews
Simply A Masterpiece
Purely Joyful Movie!
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Don't expect an Oscar....but fun flick all around!!! Love William H. Macy as always.Morgan Freeman is great and CW....actually shows a sensitive side.....Fun Movie!!!!I would watch again.
Roger (Christopher Walken) is a security guard in a museum who spends the day in front of the painting 'The Lonely Maiden' which he admires. He knows so much about the painting he can give an in depth talk about it to the museum visitors. When he is bored he daydreams of saving the museums from armed crooks which is a scene that the film opens with.The rest of the film is underwhelming and low key as Roger finds out that museum is selling its collection to a museum in Denmark. Two other security guards Charles (Morgan Freeman) and George (William H Macy) are just as upset at this decision as they too have a favourite object of beauty at the museum. Moving to Denmark is not a viable option.They decide to steal their favourite pieces and replace it with a copy but it is easier said than done. George who claims to be ex military and who also likes to be naked has the more difficult task when it comes to making the switch.The film is amiable but also forgettable and at times it is just unexciting before it becomes more tense at the latter part of the picture. It is more a light comedy than drama but I could not help thinking that all three leads have made better heist films before such as Walken in The Anderson Tapes and Macy in Welcome to Collinwood.
All you need to know to watch this movie are the names of the four leads - Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, William H Macy, and Marcia Gay Harden. Oscar winners playing against type in a comedy/caper where you feel good throughout the entire movie. This story's light fun with three bumbling, lovable security guards/would-be thieves who may/may not pull off the heist of the century - if they can ever stay out of each other's way! In this movie, Walken's a beaten down security guard nearing retirement with an overbearing but doting "battleship" of a wife in Marcia Gay Harden (wow, she is amazing in this role!!). Walken has been working the same job at a museum guarding the same wing for 30 years. In that wing is a painting, "The Lonely Maiden", in whom Walken has fallen in love. Not in a "Somewhere in Time" kinda time-travel piece, but just passionate about this lovely piece of impressionist art. She's the only reason he basically has left to live since his life has hit an endless loop of the same-ol'-same-ol'. Even his wife's incessant saving for a vacation trip to Florida isn't exciting for the poor guy. When he finds out the entire wing of the museum has been sold and is moving to Sweden, he doesn't know what to do. In his grief, he comes across two other long-time security guards (Freeman & Macy) who are head-over-heels in love with OTHER pieces in the gallery. In short order, they conceive an ill-conceived plan of stealing the original pieces and replacing them with fakes prior to leaving the country. What they realize, however, is each guard's unique "gifts" may do more damage than good once they start the heist.This is not "Rififi" with it's professional thieves performing a well-choreographed, ultra-stealth heist to end all heists. This is as "fish out of water" as it gets. It's also what makes this such a special, satirical, light movie. These are kind, gentle souls who are having the loves of their life being ripped out from under them through no fault of their own. They just feel... well, robbed by the very museum they have protected for decades. They don't intend to hurt anyone. They just can't see past their obsession for the art. You cheer for these guys.Let me say, without giving up the ending, that the ending made my wife fall in love with this movie. It's not a "chick flick" movie, but it is for those who aren't into explosions and foul language. It's light-fare with fun, silly characters played by master actors.I rate this a 7 out of 10 because it really isn't a mainstream movie and can't compete on that level. But it deserved better than the straight-to-DVD path it ended on. It is worth watching for a night of light entertainment. A fun film. :-)
Three great actors plays in this film the role of museum guards who are attached to their job and exhibits there. When one of them finds out that the paintings will be moved over to Denmark, together with two colleagues put a plan that will steal them to remain in their possession because with time they got attached to them. How they don't have experience in art heist, they forget the important details that you need to apply to succeed, so find another plan that will change with some fake paintings during their relocation. You need some patience to find out if they will succeed because the action is slow, we are given all the necessary details but even so it is a pretty good movie to watch a rainy afternoon when you don't have anything to do.