The Hot Rock has a pedigree that should’ve amounted to a heist classic and box office gold, with a William Goldman script, a talented director in Peter Yates (Bullitt), and a cast of audience favorites including Robert Redford, George Segal, Zero Mostel, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand and Moses Gunn, but this entertaining gem somehow slipped through the fingers of most filmgoers. Based on the book by the prominent author Donald E. Westlake, Africa wants their priceless “hot rock” returned to them that’s on display in the Brooklyn Museum, so they have entrusted Dr. Amusa (Gunn) to finance a team to steal the priceless jewel. When Dortmunder (Robert Redford) is released from prison, he is pitched the idea by his brother in-law Kelp (George Segal), and the two set about putting together a team and a plan financed by the African representative. With smart heist and escape sequences by Goldman (there are more than one for this elusive rock) and Yates pushing his cast to desperately acquire it, all set to a Quincy Jones score – this would be a crime to miss at the New Beverly.
