I am a huge Donald Westlake fan, and was surprised to recently discover that they made a movie out of one of his earlier gems, The Hot Rock (in my bookcase). I was so looking forward to watching this movie. Now, I am so disappointed. What a horrible adaption. Kind of followed the original plot, but missing all the humor and hijinks. If I never read the book, I would say it's OK at best. But knowing how far it missed the mark, I gotta say bleh.

One of the most inexplicably underrated films of all time - and a favourite of my late father. Screenplay from William Goldman, who wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, Marathon Man and The Princess Bride. Afghanistan Bananastan.

Better watch just for fun

this is a good one with robert redford

Very entertaining film with a terrific A list cast. A classic.

Didn't find this the slightest bit interesting

Still funny & clever 48 years later. Not many films from the 70's hold up and stand the test of time. This one does.

Above average heist picture with a wonderfully understated performance by Robert Redford. Featuring a solid supporting cast, The Hot Rock blends dry humor and action as well as any other film of the 70s.

A good heist movie is all about forming the team, giving them each an important job to do, and then pulling off the elaborate scheme. Normally this involves hours of setup and then the job is somewhere in the final act. So, when I started watching The Hot Rock and I found that the plan got rolling in the first act, I was confounded. I wondered if I accidentally skipped ahead some chapters on the DVD, because I couldn’t fathom what they would do for more than an hour afterwards. What I didn’t realize was this script is an adaptation by the great William Goldman, and he knew exactly what he was doing. This film makes the brilliant move of turning one heist into a series of at least 5 different con jobs. The construction of the story is so smart, because it keeps you on the edge of your seat that they might get caught every time, and also has you laughing at the comedy of errors that continues to snowball as one job leads to the next. It’s action-packed, humorous, and has a number of surprises along the way. The cast is full of familiar faces, from popular character actors, to the greats like Robert Redford and Zero Mostel. I thought they all did a wonderful job of playing it almost completely straight and allowing the situations to bring the comedy. The Hot Rock delivers on so many levels, because it has drama and tension, but it also made me laugh throughout. It had a similar feel to Redford’s later film, Sneakers, which I also love. If I were to strain to find a minor complaint about this movie it would be the ending. While it has a resolution of sorts, I wanted it to continue the story just a touch longer, so I could see how things resolved for everyone (I won’t say anything else to avoid spoilers.) I suppose it’s a good thing that I’m left wanting more, because that means I was on board with the story right to the end. I wish I had The Hot Rock in my life before, because I would have burned out a VHS tape watching it over-and-over again as a kid. It’s a truly marvelous film, and is one that will be added to my collection as soon as possible. One of the best heist movies I’ve ever seen.

Entertaining but really stupid and typical 70’s testosterone buddy junk. And wouldn’t their fingerprints have been all over that glass display case? You want Heist? Stick with Topkapi.

Very funny film about a gang of diamond thieves who pull off a heist but still manage some spectacular screwups.

Dortmunder: "Not me. I've got no choice. I'm not superstitious. And I don't believe in jinxes, but that stone's jinxed me and it won't let go. I've been damned near bitten, shot at, peed on and robbed. And worse is gonna happen before it's done. So I'm takin' my stand. I'm going all the way. Either I get it, or it gets me." What I liked most about this movie, is that it stays pretty true to the Westlake book, not just in plot, but in spirit too! I would never have pictured Redford for Dortmunder, but it does work! And the rest of the crew works too! I enjoyed how this all came together, and I'm surprised in this era of remakes that this hasn't been done too! And I'm glad, as it holds up! Well, except that super long helicopter sequence. Umm, editing?

Great movie. George Segal and Ron Leibman are pure gold, as are some of the supporting cast. Music by Quincy Jones is credited to his musicians. Movie is always buried and ignored. One of Redford's few really good movies.

85% "It's what I do."-Archibald Dortmunder (Robert Redford) While it may not be an award winning Redford film, it's still quite a fun crime caper flick.

I like heist movies and I jumped at the chance to watch a heist movie starring Robert Redford. The Hot Rock is a decent comedy drama that has a lot of dry humor that works. The creative ways they use to pull off the heights are cool and overall the movie delivered everything I would want from a heist movie.

Enormously entertaining caper flick where a quartet of thieves don't have just one job, they have to pull off four - a museum, the state prison, a police station, and a bank - and all to get the same diamond! Redford is typical Redford as the cool-as-a-cucumber brains of the group, although he tends to get arrested and needs antacids to offset the nerves he internalizes. George Segal is the optimist and master locksmith, while Ron Leibman and Paul Sand round out the team, and we can't forget Zero Mostel as a crooked lawyer. There's always something amusing going on in William Goldman's script which adds offbeat color to the story, like an old woman who interrupts a gang meeting in the park to feed the birds, or a bum who steals Redford's watch when he's casing a building, or the getaway driver and his mother who listen to speedway recordings of roaring engines for recreation. Plus, there's a breathtaking extended helicopter ride through downtown New York City. If you love caper movies, you've got to see <i>The Hot Rock.</i> <i>"Johnny.....Can't you go straight this time?" "I just don't have it in me."</i>

A very good film. I liked it as a kid even though a barely could understand it. I saw it again as an adult and liked it all over again.

How to steal a diamond...and steal it...and steal it--Amiable caper comedy with a great cast!!

An entertaining, breezy caper comedy that is miles better than many of its successors.

I can't help it, I like caper movies. Lol