Rent The Anderson Tapes (1971)

Anderson Tapes : A heist - The Anderson Tapes review by BN

1971 thriller directed by Sidney Lumet. With Sean Connery as Duke Anderson, a safecracker recently released from jail, Martin Balsam, Dyan Cannon and "introducing" Christopher Walken. Score by Quincy Jones.

It's a heist in a luxury block of flats in NYC. Actually pretty dull I found. I didn't get how Duke knew the rest of the gang but maybe I missed it as my attention wandered in the beginning. Somebody's following Anderson, recording his movements, hence the surveillance Tapes. Lots of technical bits that of course look pretty old fashioned, small TV screens, tape recorders, early huge computers, early CCTV, a switchboard with a daft and robotic telephonist, another small funny interlude, sort of odd in a thriller. All the tapes get wiped at the end as the surveillors are apparently illegally recording. The blurb said the ending was completely re-shot to ensure the criminals didn't get away with it.

Funniest line was the old lady (Judith Lowry) in a flat saying about her sister Margaret Hamilton(the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz) "Go take a look at what she reads. The Story of O! 73 years old and all she's got to think of is Sex!"

There's a short but interesting car chase minutes from the end.

Cracking - The Anderson Tapes review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Lumet’s superb high tech heist thriller has Connery as Duke a safe cracker just out 10 years in the slammer and straight into the bed of his high class hooker girlfriend (Canon) in her very expensive paid apartment. He decides then and there to rob the entire building - and in the classic heist tradition lays out a plan, assembles the crew and carries out the robbery. These include The Kid (Walken in his debut) , a very camp jeweller (Balsam) and a Mafia thug (Avery) who the mob want whacked and support the heist in return for Duke carrying it out. What Duke doesn’t know but the audience do is that each contact he makes is already under surveillance by various law enforcement and Govt agencies. The irony is that they have no idea who he is and why he is contact with their target so remain blissfully unaware of the bigger picture. The heist itself is brilliantly staged with the events unfolding and intercut with the cops interviewing all the victims afterward so the narrative swings back and forth. The crew think they have the building to themselves but the cops have been tipped off and lie in wait outside…….. Connery is great in the role and it was the one that really launched his post Bond career and although Walken doesn’t get that much dialogue it’s still great to hear that Walken speech cadence even then . Ok by modern standards Balsams fag Jeweller may be questionable ( and he is referred to as that throughout) but as always he is terrific. The film is full of tapes, wire taps, surveillance cameras and bugs so fits into that whole 70’s Govt paranoia genre and Quincey Jones score is full of abrasive electronica - it really is a classic heist movie - 4/5