Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
108 mins
Enjoyable heist thriller with strong performances from Moore and Caine, though the ending is slightly disappointing.
What's it all about?
In present-day London, octogenarian Laura Quinn (Demi Moore, under several layers of unconvincing old-age make-up) is giving an interview to a spunky young journalist for a series about women in business. It transpires that Laura was actually part of a famous diamond heist back in 1960.
As she tells her story, the film flashes back to 1960, where Laura is the only female manager working for the London Diamond Corporation and growing increasingly frustrated with being continually passed over for promotion. When she discovers that her bosses plan to fire her after blatantly stealing one of her ideas, she agrees to be part of a heist planned by the wily caretaker, Mr Hobbs (Michael Caine), who, in turn, has his own motives.
The Good
Demi Moore is superb as Laura, expertly nailing the British accent, even though the film describes her as a naturalised American. Michael Caine is equally good as the mysterious Hobbs and their interactions are extremely engaging (to that end, it's amusing to remember that Caine and Moore previously co-starred in Blame It On Rio, back in 1984).
The Sixties seem to be very fashionable right now (see TV's wonderful Mad Men) and Flawless taps into that vibe, with sharp, glossy photography and stylish costume designs. The script is also excellent, setting up some nice twists, an intriguing mystery and several suspenseful moments as the seemingly brilliant investigator (Lambert Wilson) closes in on Laura.
The Bad
Director Michael Radford maintains a decent pace throughout, with the film achieving a Hitchcockian flavour during its best moments. That said, Flawless is not, in fact, flawless and it unravels a little towards the end, with a rather unconvincing resolution that's swiftly followed by an unnecessary slide into sentimentality.
Worth seeing?
Despite its mildly disappointing ending, Flawless is an enjoyable, well made and sharply written heist thriller with fantastic performances from Demi Moore and Michael Caine. Worth seeing.