The release of “Tower Heist” could not have had timed better. As protesters take their tents to the streets to Occupy Wall Street and animosity grows each day towards the privileged One-Percenters, here is a movie about getting back from those who have taken too much. Not that the film is a zeitgeist, but it is pretty damn relevant.
Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the meticulous manager of a sky rise apartment building in Manhattan called, blandly enough, “The Towers”. The exquisite building home to the elite and Kovacs is there to cater their every whim. When one of the resident, an investor named Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), is exposed as a swindler who has stolen millions, Kovacs is dazed: All of his employees pension fund was in the “care” of Mr. Shaw.
But all of the money has seemingly disappeared. Looking for restitution, Kovacs gets no help from the tough and beautiful FBI agent, Claire Denham (Tea Leone), who is in charge of the case. The money is lost. But Kovacs thinks he knows where the stash has been hidden and recruits a crew of amateurs to go and get it. With no real experience in such dangerous endeavors, Kovacs seeks the services of a small-time crook named Slide (Eddie Murphy). Slide is just as out of his depth as the rest of them but that doesn’t stop them. High jinx follow.
With “Tower Heist,” director Brett Ratner has given us a polished re-working of Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” complete with the funky soundtrack and lively ensemble cast. Both films even share Casey Affleck and the same screenwriter, Ted Griffin. While “Heist” replaces “Eleven’s” gorgeous band of professional thieves with a clueless gang of idiots, the films share the same playful spirit. The success rests in the joy of watching the heist play out.
While Stiller is more than appropriate as the lead here, his performance is more of the same we have come to expect. This is vintage Ben Stiller with his tight-shoulder stance and reserved yet manic energy. The real news here is that Eddie Murphy is funny again!! Vintage Eddie Murphy is much more refreshing. He delivers his lines with a near-“Donkey from Shrek” tone but, unlike his work from the last couple of decades (“Daddy Daycare,” “Meet Dave”), Murphy seems to actually be engaged in what is going on around him. The movie’s first act is flat and plodding but once Murphy is introduced he breathes life into the story that lasts through to the final frame.
When attending “Tower Heist” let it be known that disbelief must checked at the lobby and firmly suspended. Movie logic haunts the film and some of the plot turns will make you roll your eyes to the back of the skull if you think to long on them. This is mindless, good entertainment that delivers plenty of laughs. A rousing tale for the “Have Nots” who like to see the “Haves” get their just desserts.
