9 out of 10
 

The Master Thief challenging hi-tech security to steal the priceless art treasure, .it`s a storyline from the 1950's, yet this film stands out as a gem. Grabbing you from the first moment, "Entrapment" features Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Robert MacDougall and Gin, who team-up to take on the very best of the World`s security industry. If you like the "Mask of Zorro", you`ll love this!

Amongst enough "James Bond" gadgets to fill a CIA warehouse, Connery is clearly at home, as all the gizmos are merely tools - stage props - not the focus of the plot itself, and a powerful chemistry quickly builds between he and his young protege, Gin, as they train for the stunts necessary to rob institutions of millions. The atmosphere is electric between Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones as no-one is quite who hey seem and nothing is quite what it appears. Unfortunately, I understand that their "May-September" relationship is a major issue to Canadian Anglophones, a bizarre worry to anyone from England...

Unlike the endless saga of James Bond, the various exotic locations, such as Bedford Palace (filmed at the magnificent Blenheim Palace), the Stock Exchange at Kuala Lumpur and a castle in the Scottish highlands are all critical and relevant to the story, adding an interesting and splendid backdrop to this superb film.

Despite all the "state-of-the-art" technology, it is the sophistication of the highly credible plot that, with more twists than a corkscrew, style and panache, never leaves the audience adrift as all the old cliches are notable by their absence. And if you figure out the extraordinary ending, you're a better man than me!