synopsis : an aging master art thief , his supplier , and a young , buxom security consultant are all not who they first appear to be ( or are they ? ) in this convoluted mess involving a risky heist during the millennium .
comments : this movie was boring .
plain and simple .
entrapment should not have been boring .
it stars sean connery , who can still carry an action film despite his age , catherine zeta-jones , a likeable enough film presence , and ving rhames , ultra-cool star of pulp fiction and mission : impossible .
it takes full advantage of the y2k computer bug fears ( a current ” hot topic ” in the news ) in its storyline , which is set at the end of 1999 .
it has some genuinely well-staged action sequences .
so , what went wrong ?
plenty , unfortunately .
the major problem with entrapment is its script .
it has a been-there , done-that feel to it .
nothing seems particularly inventive or original , so the whole movie lacks suspense and drags ( it runs nearly two hours ) .
the screenwriters , for example , periodically use a countdown to the millennium as a means of transition between scenes ( i . e .
” 4 days to the millennium ” ) .
this device was used much more effectively in the overlooked sci-fi film strange days .
the characters are not who they appear to be at the beginning , which is neat at first but the device wears thin once the umpteenth ” surprise ” revelation is made .
entrapment , in other words , relies too heavily on the audience not knowing what each character’s true motive is , resulting in a convoluted story which leaves many scratching their heads in confusion .
the star power here is quite strong , but the viewer can’t help but feel the actors are wasted in this production .
sean connery is given such mind-numbing lines as ” never trust a naked woman . ”
ving rhames’ character seems like an afterthought ; he’s not developed at all .
the camera zooms in frequently and leeringly at catherine zeta-jones’s tight wardrobe .
this , in and of itself , is not bad , but , after a while , it has a juvenile feel to it .
at least the species movies hold no bones about the fact that they’re exploiting the female body .
entrapment does the same under the thin disguise of plot development ( sean connery supposedly falls in love with the girl while watching her , in tights , arc and pivot around laser beams ) .
the tagline for this movie reads ” the trap is set . ”
it sure is , on those who spent money to see this movie .
entrapment really isn’t that bad ; it is watchable .
i would suggest , however , one waits until this is on cable or television to see it .