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Reviews
STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
Unmissable 5 Stars
Excellent 4 Stars
Good 3 Stars
Poor 2 Stars
Tragic 1 Star

POSTER ART
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FILM DETAILS
Certificate
12A
Cast
Ben Stiller
Eddie Murphy
Casey Affleck
Alan Alda
Matthew Broderick
Tea Leoni
Michael Peña
Gabourey Sidibe.
Directors
Brett Ratner.
Screenwriters
Ted Griffin
Jeff Nathanson.
Running Time
104 minutes

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Tower Heist
Ransack the block


Plot
A ruthless businessman's (Alda) Ponzi scheme leaves a group of average joes penniless... so they decide to perform a heist on his penthouse in a luxury apartment building.

Review
Tower Heist
Brett Ratner’s first film since 2007’s Rush Hour 3, this is a kind of blue-collar, lower-wattage Ocean’s Eleven, in which a high rise’s staff scheme to get their savings back from fraudulent fat cat Alan Alda. Cashing in on the credit-crunch, it takes a few swerves towards the serious (an exploited old codger jumps under a subway train, a la Wall Street 2), before the heist kicks in and the tone settles on ‘preposterous’. The final act hurtles along breezily and twistily, throwing in the Macy’s Parade, betrayals, a yapping dog and a vertical car chase. But the lead-up’s fairly dull, and while it’s good to see Eddie Murphy back in Trading Places form as a foul-mouthed hustler, he’s sorely underused. In fact, it’s Alda’s smarm offensive that turns out to be the primary pleasure.


Verdict
Fun if uneven stuff from Ratner. A welcome return to form for Eddie Murphy and an even-more-welcome turn by the ever-excellent Alan Alda.


Reviewed by Nick de Semlyen

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Your Reviews

Average user rating for Tower Heist
Empire Star Rating

Hilarious, feel good fun

Remember the insanely stupid Rush hour 3? Well Brett Ratners latest Tower Heist is a significant improvement, why? Well the ensemble cast certainly please. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by lewisb548 at 18:59, 13 November 2011 | Report This Post


Given the cast and it's status as a comedy this was surprisingly unfunny with very few jokes. Despite this however, once it gets going it's an entertaining enough heist caper. It could and should have been so much better though. 3 stars. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by skeletonjack at 09:46, 10 November 2011 | Report This Post


Straight to SKY

I'll watch this when I've seen most other things and I can't sleep on a week night. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by maxsmorris at 21:48, 09 November 2011 | Report This Post


glad I didn't pay to watch this

run of the mill - expected it to be funnier ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by abductee at 08:06, 09 November 2011 | Report This Post


Do Yourself A Favour. Pass.

Watching the trailers one could be forgiven for thinking this would be a return to form from Murphy who has been flailing inoffensively since the release of Raw. From the moment 12A appeared onscreen, I knew I was in trouble. Alan Alda aside, no actor in this respectable cast comes away unscathed from a film that offers not one laugh. Not one. The ever-impressive Casey Affleck does well enough but the jokes simply aren't there. Gabourey 'Precious' Sidibe fails miserably at one of the easier acce... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Artificial Luddite at 12:18, 08 November 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Tower Heist

I'm liking the sound of "A welcome return to form for Eddie Murphy " I doubt that'll be enough for me to pay money to see it at the cinema, but one to look out for on DVD maybe ... More

Posted by beancounter at 18:29, 04 November 2011 | Report This Post



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