The Anderson Tapes Review

Anderson Tapes, The
Ex-con Anderson (Connery) settles back in with his girlfriend after a stint at her majesty's pleasure and begins to plan to rob her entire apartment block, only to find that he is being constantly monitored.

by Rob Fraser |
Published on
Release Date:

01 Jan 1971

Running Time:

0 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Anderson Tapes, The

An end-of-Bond-era vehicle for Sean Connery, this early '70s heist movie carries the unfortunate burden of echoing other, better films. The paranoid tone evokes but doesn't equal Coppola's The Conversation, while Connery is no match for Point Blank's Lee Marvin in the tough guy ex-con stakes.

Director Sidney Lumet, usually such a reliable navigator in thriller territory, here goes for modish flamboyance, typified by Quincy Jones' dated score. Result: irritating sound design and a bizarre performance from gritty character-type Martin Balsam as a gay thief with excellent taste in antiques. On the plus side, Christopher Walken displays considerable star quality and cool hair in his first major role.

The usually reliable thriller-director Lumet falls short. With an irritating score and bizarre performance by Martin Balsam, it's alleviated by a promising performance by a young Christopher Walken.
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