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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - Flawless
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List Price: $26.98
Our Price: $19.99
Your Save: $ 6.99 ( 26% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Starring: Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Yemi Ajibade, Constantine Gregory, David Henry
Directed By: Michael Radford
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
EAN: 0876964001038
Format: Closed-captioned
Label: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-06-03
Running Time: 109
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 2008-03-28
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Editorial Reviews:
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FLAWLESS (DVD MOVIE)
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawless is a well made movie
Comment: Michael Caine and Demi Moore both deliver strong performances. The story keeps one guessing - the outcome is unexpected. The production of the film is first rate. Shot on location the sites and decor are wonderful. Colors are very early 60s. It evoked that feel - I was back there again. I liked the jazz music used throughout. Caine's character is classic Michael Caine.
It was worth buying and is worth watching from time to time - not a one watch film.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but still a gem
Comment: A return to the classic heist genre made famous by films like "The Thomas Crown Affair" (the original with Steve McQueen) and "The Sting," "Flawless" is enjoyable if a bit predictable. Set in 60s era England, with an English diamond cartel masquerading as DeBeers, and it's protagonist Laura Quinn played by the well cast Demi Moore, the film captures both the period, and the glass ceiling misery of a woman working in 'a man's world.'
The atmosphere of the film is spot on, with gorgeous bank interiors, rainy London nights, and even Quinn's wood-paneled, smoke filled office. Perhaps it's strongest element, the viewer feels immersed in the secretive and foreign world of the diamond broker from the very opening scene in which an African diamond miner unearths a collection of stones, and as the viewer watches a series of vignettes, the largest of them is cut, polished, and mounted in a ring which is then shown on a newly engaged woman's finger. This provides a grounding for the action to follow, and even a subtle hint at the politics of 'conflict diamonds.'
The acting is engaging and for the most part spot-on with Moore turning in an especially enjoyable performance as she teeters between supreme self confidence and despair. She is both sexy and intelligent, aptly capturing Quinn's bold ambition and masked with a carefully controlled demeanor and appearance. Michal Cane is also delightful as the night janitor who has selected Quinn as his accomplice, taking advantage of her frustration with watching men inferior to her be promoted repeatedly.
The heist itself is not lavish or complex, and fails to capture the imagination until it's true nature is revealed. Unfortunately, it also strains credulity, and when all secrets are revealed, left this reviewer feeling a bit put upon. Another flaw is that the theft and it's subsequent dialogue between between Cane and Moore reveals a cheesy, moralistic and even contrived reason for the theft. This leads into the final conclusion, in which a desperate attempt to re-portray Quinn as a hero, instead turns the film on it's head as the action returns to present day England, and a conversation with a newspaper reporter interviewing Quinn. Quinn then reveals what she has done with the money, in all it's horrid, forced morality.
Aside from the last fifteen minutes or so, the film is excellent if a bit slow, and fans of the caper or heist genre owe it to themselves to watch it. The movie is nowhere near 'flawless,' but it isn't a failure either.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawless is flawless
Comment: This is a clever, engaging story, beautifully portrayed by Demi Moore and Michael Caine. It's a movie about a diamond heist that doesn't rely on car chases or explosions.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comical Heist, Michael Caine is a Gem
Comment: This film, despite all it's pretended seriousness, political and social correctness is really quite comical. The big boys take themselves a little too seriously, there is all of the chain smoking and polished wingtips, and two unlikely partners in crime. Michael Caine is great as the invisible shuffling janitor in the background, Mr. Hobbs, who patiently and long-sufferingly does the night cleanup. And Demi Moore, as Laura Quinn, the only female manager of the evil diamond company, who has not only been passed over and over again, but about to be axed. The two team up to steal a few stones, and get back at the company. But the plot falls apart for Ms. Quinn when it became apparent to her that Mr. Hobbs has not let her know the exact reason and extent of his plans. She becomes frantic, guilt and betrayal written all over her face, while being investigated by a detective (Finch) who shows a slight romantic interest in her, while she shows too much interest in the investigation. The cat/mouse game ends when Finch figures out that Laura and Mr. Hobbs had been seen together, and a panicking Laura attempts to find out what Mr. Hobbs has done with the diamonds. He only assures her that everything is under control. But Laura panicks and the gig is almost up as Finch closes in.
Laura eventually figures out the scheme, and answers Mr. Hobbs question, "Are you a giver or a taker?" and moving onto the rest of her life without the glass ceiling. Here Mr. Hobbs is like a fairy godfather who solves Ms. Quinn's problems and sets her free to fulfill her destiny.
Not to give away the plot, just suffice it to say, that the symbolism of what Mr. Hobbs does with the diamonds is about the funniest thing, as well as the last minute disposal of one magnificant stone. Just as he leaves his shift, he is called back in a suspenseful moment (leading the audience to think that he is being caught), only to have someone hand him a plunger and ask him to clear the commode.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Almost "Flawless"
Comment: Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is a rarity for 1960. She is a Vice President with the world's largest diamond wholesaler, based in London. She watches in frustration as all of her male co-workers are promoted around her, leaving her with the same responsibilities, the same office, the same schedule. She comes in early every day and leaves last every night, yet her boss Sir Milton Ashtoncroft (Joss Ackland) doesn't seem to notice. Ashtoncroft is a shady character at best, but Quinn realizes she will never be able to get a comparable job anywhere else. Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), one of the many janitors, has worked for the same company for years. In his nightly rounds, he has made observations and approaches Ms. Quinn with an idea. He could, with her assistance, steal a small handful of diamonds from the company vault, enough to set them each up for a long time. They could each escape the lives they are trapped in. Quinn is dubious but Mr. Hobbs shows her how he would do it, and she is on board. But it looks like Mr. Hobbs has other ideas and other motives.
"Flawless", directed by Michael Radford ("Il Postino") is an interesting, overlooked film. At it's heart, "Flawless" is a caper film "based on a true story", but it presents so many other ideas and themes, making it more complex and watch able.
Michael Caine is, as always, great. Mr. Hobbs is the kindly old man you see hobbling along, happy with his place in life, always eager and willing to do his job. But as we learn more and more about him, we see there are many other levels to his character. Caine is a great actor, a subtle actor and he reveals these layers slowly making them more believable and surprising. It isn't Caine's best performance ever, but Mr. Hobbs is immensely watch able.
Demi Moore is also good as Laura Quinn, an American woman working for an international firm in London in 1960. She realizes how hard she has to work to maintain this position, so she comes to work early and leaves late, always checking in with security as she does so. But what does this get her? A lot of lonely nights at her flat, eating dinner alone. As the story progresses, we see Quinn's aggravation with her situation, but because she has to still maintain her persona, she can't become too emotional or upset. This becomes an asset to their plan.
And when the diamonds are stolen, the company calls in an investigator, Finch (Lambert Wilson). Perhaps the best thing about "Flawless" is that everyone is pretty smart; Mr. Hobbs comes up with the plan, Quinn contributes certain qualities and Finch begins to suspect certain people as he tries to figure out how the robbery was accomplished.
Michael Radford, who gained a lot of attention with "Il Postino", has struggled since, releasing a series of films that were either critically maligned, quickly forgotten by the public, or both. Unfortunately, "Flawless" won't change his fortunes, but it is a good film.
As the story and the heist proceed, he uses the canvas as a way to introduce many other themes, helping to establish the time and setting for the film. The company Quinn and Hobbs work for is a huge diamond collective based in Botswana. In addition to the heist, the company officers have to handle the press who are circling because of the daily protests about the company's involvement with blood diamonds. Laura Quinn recognizes she is a rarity; a female executive at a large corporation in London, and an American woman at that. So this causes her to be a bit tentative and reluctant to join Hobbs plan. Instead, she would rather continue trying to work hard; continue trying to beat at the glass ceiling. As the story unfolds, and she begins to realize how her male co-workers treat her, she knows she will never rise above her current situation.
The story takes some unexpected turns because Hobbs and Quinn aren't honest with one another. And this provides a mild level of excitement. When we finally learn the motive behind the robbery, another theme is introduced.
If this film is, as stated, "based on a true story", it is a story that far ahead of its time. It is for this reason that I have to wonder how much of this story is based on real events. I suspect not much. But "Flawless" is a pleasant diversion and a great film to watch on DVD.
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