The Hot Rock

1972
PG
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

7.1K

YOUR RATING

Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, and Paul Sand in The Hot Rock (1972)

Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...

Play trailer2:56

1 Video

26 Photos

Caper Action Comedy Crime

Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...

Director
- Peter Yates
Writers
- Donald E. Westlake
- William Goldman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

7.1K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Peter Yates
Writers
- Donald E. Westlake
- William Goldman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 nominations total

Trivia
Writer Donald E. Westlake stated in an interview that "The Hot Rock" started out to be one of his darker Parker novels but that "it kept turning funny."

Goofs
When the locksmith is attempting to unlock the case in the museum, he's using only a pick. Without a tension wrench, there's no way to turn the lock cylinder, so he would never succeed in picking the lock.

Quotes
Dortmunder: Afghanistan Banana Stand.

Crazy credits
The 20th Century Fox logo is erased away via a "snake effect".

Alternate versions
The original network television version included two extra scenes. The first one is where the hypnotist, that is hired, explaining to Redford's gang how hypnosis works and how he can hypnotize the bank worker. He tells them the trigger phrase will be "Afghanistan banana stand", which Redford later says to the bank worker to obey his commands. The second one occurs at the end of the movie where Abe Greenberg and Dr. Amusa go to the bank to retrieve the diamond, but are disappointed to discover Dortmunder already took it from the safe deposit box.

Connections
Edited into The Clock (2010)

Soundtracks
When You Believe
Written by Bill Rinehart
Sung by Táta

User reviews92

Review

Featured review

7/10

70s' Zeitgeist

Okay okay, Westlake's novels are always much better than the respective movies (take for example "What's the Worst that Could Happen"), but I must admit that director Peter Yates did a really good job. Dortmunder (the author was inspired to this name by the German beer!) is not much like Donald Westlake's original in the Dortmunder books, along with some of the other characters. Redford is too handsome. George C. Scott in "Bank Shot" was much more Dortmunderish (Westlake's master-crook John Archibald Dortmunder is worn down and pessimistic), but in the "Hot Rock" movie Yates catches the 'Zeitgeist', or spirit of the times. And that's enough.

Brilliant: Quincy Jones' soundtrack (with Gerry Mulligan playing the sax).