How to Write Dialogue
David Mamet knows how to write dialogue like no other. Is it because of his stage background? That might have helped but there are plenty of playwrights that write tepid dialogue. Is it because he has great instincts and is immensely talented? More likely.
In this project, he takes on the classic movie scenario, the heist. Essential elements of this genre are, in no particular order: fast-paced dialogue, often laced with cool criminal jargon; a meandering storyline with enough surprises to keep you guessing throughout and one final, masterful twist at the end; a wise, weathered veteran thief (or even team of thieves) that's considering retirement, and as smooth as Glenlivet; an inexperienced thief whose downfall is his arrogance; oh, and an exorbitant amount of money in exotic form in the most difficult location that the veteran has ever seen.
And yes, this film contains all of those elements. With so much of the movie a given, one might think that there's little hope for an original idea to come out of the thing. But the way that David Mamet meticulously crafts every component of the formula yields a result that almost transcends the genre and reaches for the form--the quintessential heist film. Well maybe I've gotten a little carried away, but I think my point has been made.
Unfortunately this film was released within a few months of another high-profile heist film, The Score, whose cast of stars (including the reclusive Brando) overshadowed the more humble cast of The Heist and brought it better reviews, when in reality, the latter should have won more praise, hands down. Pound for pound (no, that's not a crack on Brando's weight), the cast of The Heist easily outperforms that of The Score. As if that wasn't enough, the script (story, characters, plot twists and and all) of The Score is beaten at every turn by the consummate skill of David Mamet.
As they say, "if you don't know, you betta ax somebody," and if you don't know jack about David Mamet, that somebody is me. For a complete listing of his work courtesy of the good people at IMDb, go here. If you're looking for recommendations, here are a few. In the words of Notorious B.I.G., "and if you don't know, now you know."
Bottom line: If you are a fan of the heist genre and/or David Mamet, go out right now and see it.