The Hot Rock

Director: Peter Yates

1972 / 101min / 4K DCP

One of Robert Redford’s more unjustly underappreciated star turns of the 1970s comes in this adaptation of Westlake’s 1970 novel of the same name, which introduced (one of) the author’s signature creations, New York City–based master thief and obsessive micromanager John Dortmunder, and in time provided Redford a part that would allow the Golden Boy to show off his comic chops. Hired to heist the Sahara Stone, an African diamond on display in the Brooklyn Museum, for repatriation—a seemingly simple job that will prove anything but—Dortmunder puts together a team that includes George Segal, Ron Leibman, and Paul Sand, dreaming up increasingly baroque schemes as he and his crew chase the elusive object of desire all over the city. (And if that doesn’t sell ya, we’ll throw in a slinky-funky Quincy Jones soundtrack to boot!)

Distributor: Walt Disney Studios/20th Century

Part of The Westlake Files