The Maiden Heist (2009)

That was an excellent one.

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

When I read the synopsis for this I immediately thought of 'Mad Money' one of my all time favourite Sunday afternoon films. When I noticed the cast I expected myself to be in for a treat.Must admit I was a little disappointed. The plot is quite simple and fairly tame (perfect), the cast are fantastic (as expected) it was the pace of the film I had a problem with.You see a lot of the film through Walken's character, who is basically killing time waiting to die. That's how this film felt in places.Where Mad Money has a degree of energy and a chirpy sound track this film sucks energy. It is hard also to connect with people whose one goal is to stand and stare at something all day.Of course all these points are themes that run through the film and work themselves out, watching them was quite tiring.Excellent acting production, story - just a bit slow and limp.

Three great actors plays in this film the role of museum guards who are attached to their job and exhibits there. When one of them finds out that the paintings will be moved over to Denmark, together with two colleagues put a plan that will steal them to remain in their possession because with time they got attached to them. How they don't have experience in art heist, they forget the important details that you need to apply to succeed, so find another plan that will change with some fake paintings during their relocation. You need some patience to find out if they will succeed because the action is slow, we are given all the necessary details but even so it is a pretty good movie to watch a rainy afternoon when you don't have anything to do.

Roger is a security guard who is obsessed by the painting 'The Lonely Maiden' to such an extent that he knows more about it than the museum guides and even fantasises about preventing armed robbers from stealing it. Then one day he learns that the museum has sold it and it is soon to be shipped to Denmark along with every other item in that particular gallery. Roger soon learns that he isn't the only security guard about to lose a beloved work of art; Charles is obsessed with another painting and George likes a nude sculpture so much that he likes to pose alongside it when he thinks he is alone at night! Together they hatch a plan to steal the three works; it won't be easy though; they will have to get three near perfect copies and find a way to switch them during the transfer.This film might not be a classic but it is pretty funny; this is helped by having three genuine stars; Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy; playing the three leads Roger, Charles and George respectively. They all perform well as does Marcia Gay Harden who plays Roger's wife. As one might expect it is far-fetched but that doesn't matter as is has plenty of laugh out loud moments… not all involving a naked William H. Macy! When the robbery occurs it is moderately exciting although not as exciting as the imagined robbery attempt we see in the opening scene. There is little too offend here, so long as you don't mind seeing a man's bare backside; there was one rather muffled obscenity; certainly less than most films of a similar raring these days. Overall I'd recommend this is you want an entertaining family movie and don't expect too much depth.

I was fairly delighted with The Maiden Heist. I picked it up hoping to see some amusing performances from a crew of appealing, veteran performers and that's what I got. There was a lot more of William H. Macy's bare butt than I expected, and I never quite figured out why the film didn't at least put some gray in Marcia Gay Harden's hair to try and compensate for the noticeable difference in ages between she and Christopher Walken as they played husband and wife. Harden seems to be playing the same age but looks at least 20 years younger than Walken, whose eyes are still bright but whose everything else has dimmed. But it takes more than middle-aged man ass to put me off a good comedy and the Harden/Walken contrast was more quizzical than annoying.Roger Barlow (Christopher Walken) is a museum security guard with a passion for French art and a particular obsession with one painting, The Lonely Maiden. When he finds out all the exhibits, including his beloved, are being shipped to Denmark to make way for some gaudy modern art, Roger recruits kindred spirits (Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy) who are similarly consumed by two other works of art in a scheme to steal their objects of desire and substitute copies for the trip to a Copenhagen museum. But Roger's very New Jersey-ish wife (Marcia Gay Harden) and a big slip up during the heist may land them all in very hot water.Now, The Maiden Heist is one of these comedies that's doesn't have a lot of actual jokes. There are some, including an inspired visual gag involving Walken repelling down the side of a building and others revolving around Macy's nudity, but this is a story that gets by on personality and tries to be more endearing than hilarious. So, if you're down in the dumps and need something energetic and aggressively funny to pull you out of it, this may not be the film for you. But if you're already in a relatively good mood and looking for a relaxing and somewhat enchanting way to spend 90 minutes, give this movie a go.Walken, Freeman and Macy are all wonderful and though Harden is playing more of a caricature, she does it quite well. The script does a great job of illustrating each man's preoccupation with their particular work of art in a different way and the plan to steal them is rather beautifully put together. There's also just enough clever visual imagery to keep your interest piqued without overwhelming the plot and the characters.It's a shame that many people don't and never will know about this little gem, but that's the paradox of entertainment we live with. Technology has given us access to more films than ever before. Unfortunately, that avalanche of choice combines with technology that allows the production of more god awful crap than ever before to bury movies like The Maiden Heist before the audience has a chance to know them. Changing economics and business models has made it even more difficult for films to get into theaters and stay there long enough to be discovered. Then they come out on DVD or get streamed online and have one week at best before another batch of new releases supplants them. Far too soon, they're shunted to a back shelf in the video store or relegated to one more name on a web page's ever lengthening list of films you can "order now!"Oh, well. I guess it has to be enough that The Maiden Heist and other movies like it are available for whomever is lucky to stumble across them. I'm glad I was one of them.