The Anderson Tapes (1971) This may seem like a fairly minor blip in the distinguished filmography of director Sidney Lumet........but if you examine it closely enough, Lumet's version of a slick, fast heist film has all telltale tropes of his better, classic efforts.
The central joke here: All the participants are being surveilled by multiple government agencies......none of whom are aware of each other's listening bugs and none of whom share information with each other anyway.........
So fresh-out-of-jail convict 'Duke' Anderson (Sean Connery) remains oblivious to the Feds eavesdropping on his plan to stage a mafia-funded Labor Day robbery of a plush, ritzy NYC apartment building.
Even though the film mostly unfolds in this sumptuous building, "The Anderson Tapes" could easily fit into the 'New York City As Crime Ridden Hate-Filled Hellhole' genre that flourished in the 1970's ("The French Connection", "The Seven Ups", "The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three")
All the mainstays of the genre are here (delivered with the same sharp humor that energized 'Pelham One Two Three').......racial animus, the breakdown of government agencies, the gulf between grubby have-nots and one-per-centers in New York......and some swishy gay caricatures thrown in for cheap laughs.......
As in all Lumet films, the cast is uniformly superb in instantly putting across their characters......including a young Christopher Walken as a safecracking whiz and a final appearance from the Wicked Witch herself, Margaret Hamilton.
Like any good caper movie should, the film speedily zips along, buoyed by Connery's charisma, Dyan Cannon's relaxed sexuality and Lumet's huge roster of familiar New York actors.
Unlike other serious directors who decide to go 'slumming' as they try their hand at a popcorn-munchin' crowd pleaser, Lumet's film never comes off like he's only dabbling.......so you get the best of both worlds with "The Anderson Tapes", a whip-smart thriller with a film artist's jaundiced, ironic view of his NYC stompin' grounds.
And the best joke erupts at the end........when Connery's master crook, having survived all the big city chaos,mafia machinations and law enforcement electronics arrayed against him, is finally undone by a sick, bedridden child armed with a ham radio.
BQ says don't let this one fall off your radar........it's a long lost blast of edgy New York fun from that city's most eloquent storyteller. 4 stars (****).
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