Review: Tower Heist (2011)


Review: 🎬 Tower Heist (2011)

It's not just a robbery, it's payback

 3 out of 5


Tower Heist is a film that methodically takes its time to unfold its characters, but once it does, the story flows with an easy confidence from beginning to end. The first half hour is carefully devoted to setup, introducing us to the gleaming Manhattan high-rise life, the staff who keep it running, and the billionaire Arthur Shaw played skillfully by Alan Alda. Shaw appears to be a benevolent benefactor but is, in truth, a man of deceptive kindness masking cruelty. This deliberate pacing pays off, because when the story itself begins to take shape, we understand not only the stakes but the humanity of those involved.

Ben Stiller anchors the film as Josh Kovacs, the building manager who becomes the reluctant mastermind of the operations. Stiller plays him as the straight man, earnest, decent and clearly motivated by a desire to help the people who have been wronged. Around him swirl Eddie Murphy's brash comedic energy, Casey Affleck's nervous loyalty, and Matthew Broderick's dry resignation, each adding small funny moments that keep the tone lighthearted even as the plot revolves around betrayal and revenge.

What makes Tower Heist work is not the intricacy of the caper, though the mechanics of sneaking a car out of a skyscraper are inventive and far fetched, but the balance between comedy and morality. The film almost never forgets that its characters are not master criminals but ordinary people who leap into extraordinary circumstances. Shaw's cruelty is chilling precisely because it is dressed in charm, the kind of villainy that smiles while it robs you.

Ultimately, Tower Heist isn't just about theft, it's about justice, camaraderie, and the thrill of righting a wrong. While it doesn't reinvent the heist genre, it offers a breezy, entertaining ride with enough sharpness to remind us why rooting for the underdog feels so satisfying. It may not showcase anyone's finest work, the performances are solid. It's not Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job, nor does it try to be, and that refusal to imitate might be what makes it a sleeper success.

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