The second time I saw this film, and again it was doable. De Niro's role is contradictory; on the one hand Harry Fabian lies and cheats, but the more you get to know him, the bigger his heart turns out to be. He wants to make his big score, more as a personal victory than just making money. Then there's some other sidelines, like his relationship with a waitress (who is actually with the man who becomes key in his new plans...) and a new friend/partnership with a retired boxer (who has a dangerously bad ticker...). It doesn't take a genius to figure that things will not turn out so great for Harry, but predictability isn't always a bad thing.
Otherwise, the story is pretty decent, although it takes a while to really get started and some scenes could have easily been cut shorter. But the big disappointment is the finale - lacking any form of suspense, drama or humour it pretends to have. I díd enjoy most of the acting though, beside De Niro I find Lange, Warden and Gorman especially worth mentioning.
It's about time I tried the original, I suppose. 6 out of 10 for this one.
Otherwise, the story is pretty decent, although it takes a while to really get started and some scenes could have easily been cut shorter. But the big disappointment is the finale - lacking any form of suspense, drama or humour it pretends to have. I díd enjoy most of the acting though, beside De Niro I find Lange, Warden and Gorman especially worth mentioning.
It's about time I tried the original, I suppose. 6 out of 10 for this one.