Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in a heist thriller about two thieves who fall in love while trying to outsmart each other. The setup is simple: Virginia “Gin” Baker, an insurance investigator, suspects Robert “Mac” MacDougal, an elderly thief, of stealing a Rembrandt. She decides to trap him by pretending to join his crew. What follows is a slow-burn romance set against a backdrop of stolen masks and a millennial computer glitch.
The film was directed by Jon Amiel from a script by Ronald Bass, William Broyles Jr. and Michael Hertzberg. It runs 112 minutes and plays as a blend of romance, drama and mystery. The tagline promises “the trap is set,” and the movie spends most of its runtime setting it.
Trailer, via HD Retro Trailers.
Connery and Zeta-Jones
Connery plays Mac as a man of habit and ritual. He steals for the challenge, not for the money. Zeta-Jones plays Gin as clever and hungry, a professional who wants to prove herself. Their chemistry is the engine of the picture. When they spar over plans and passwords, the tension feels real. When they kiss, the romance feels earned.
The supporting cast fills out the world around them. Will Patton plays Hector Cruz, the boss who sends Gin after Mac. Ving Rhames plays Aaron Thibadeaux, a character whose role is not detailed in the available materials. Maury Chaykin plays Conrad Greene, a figure whose presence shapes the story’s middle stretch. Kevin McNally, Terry O’Neill, Madhav Sharma, David Yip, Tim Potter, Eric Meyers and Aaron Swartz round out the ensemble.
The Heist Plan
The central scheme is clever. Gin and Mac plan to break into Bedford Palace to steal a Chinese mask. Then, in Kuala Lumpur, they move on to the Malaysian branch of the International Clearance Bank, housed in the Petronas Towers. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the bank’s global computer system will shut down for thirty seconds to verify its integrity due to the millennium bug. During that window, Gin’s custom software will siphon small amounts from thousands of corporate transactions into her account.
The plan is ambitious. It also requires a great deal of preparation. Gin and Mac train together at Mac’s isolated Scottish castle, where they clash over his over-preparedness. They resist their mutual attraction until the tension becomes too much to bear.
The Millennium Bug
The bug is the film’s hook. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the ICB’s global computer system will shut down for thirty seconds to verify its systems. Gin and Mac plan to exploit that window. It is a neat idea, but the movie treats it as background rather than foreground. The heist happens, the money moves, and the story moves on.
The bug provides a convenient excuse for a global shutdown. It is a clever trick, but it is a trick that gets less attention than the characters deserve.
The Castle and the Mask
The Scottish castle is a strong setting. It isolates the pair, forcing them to confront each other without distraction. The mask itself is a valuable object, worth enough to justify the risk. The scene where Gin passes Mac’s test by obtaining the palace floorplans is tense. The moment where Mac reveals he intercepted the Rembrandt before it reached Gin is a genuine twist.
The mask heist itself is well-executed. Mac and Gin break in, take the mask, and escape. The plan works. The execution is solid. But the film spends more time on the setup than on the payoff.
The Romance
Gin and Mac grow closer even as they remain suspicious of each other. Their mutual attraction is a constant threat to the mission. Gin confesses to stealing the Rembrandt, and Mac responds by revealing his own deception. The dynamic is built on trust and betrayal, and it holds the film together.
The romance is central to the plot. The heist mechanics are competent. The dialogue is often witty. The performances are strong. But the film leans on the relationship to carry scenes that should be carried by action.
The Weak Points
The pacing drags in the middle. The film spends too much time on setup and not enough on payoff. The bug plot is underdeveloped. The supporting characters are thin. None of these are fatal flaws, but they add up to a movie that is watchable rather than memorable.
The film’s biggest problem is its refusal to commit to either genre. It is a heist movie, but it spends more time on romance than on theft. It is a thriller, but it spends more time on character talk than on suspense. It is a drama, but it spends more time on plot twists than on emotional weight. The result is a film that is always promising something and rarely delivering it.
Key Facts
- Title: Entrapment
- Year: 1999
- Director: Jon Amiel
- Stars: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Run Time: 112 minutes
- Genres: Romance, Drama, Mystery
Final Word
Entrapment is a competently made film with a strong core. Connery and Zeta-Jones carry it through its weaker stretches. The heist plans are clever, and the romance is well-handled. But the pacing drags, the bug plot is underdeveloped, and the climax is rushed. It is a film worth watching once, for the performances and the premise, but not a film that rewards repeat viewing.
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