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Lassiter

1984, Movie, R, 100 mins

Lassiter: Review

Popular TV actor Selleck's follow-up to his disappointing HIGH ROAD TO CHINA was a wholehearted attempt at evoking the suave and charming rogues of Hollywood's heyday. Unfortunately, although Selleck tries hard and does reasonably well, the script doesn't provide much in the way of rapport between characters. Lassiter (Selleck) is an American jewel thief in London in 1934, forced by the British and American governments into a dangerous mission to steal $10 million worth of diamonds about to be shipped from the German embassy to support the mounting Nazi war movement. Rather than go to prison, Lassiter agrees to the plan, with bulldoglike British cop Hoskins watching him every moment. The diamonds are to be transported by Hutton, a sadistic German agent. LASSITER successfully evokes the look and flavor of London in the 1930s, and the set and costume design are superior. Selleck has a definite screen presence, and Hoskins nearly steals the movie with a delightfully hammy performance. Hutton however, is almost laughable on another level. Her thick German accent sounds like a Rich Little impersonation of Marlene Dietrich. Most of what goes wrong here can be blamed on the script, which provides little of the smart and snappy dialog needed to pull off a film like this. leave a comment