One wonders how Whoopi Goldberg, ever became a movie star, but then we're remembered about how good she was in The Color Purple. Burglar is interesting I guess in a strange or enigmatic sense, but one thing it isn't: funny, not even remotely. I can't even believe this was based on the Lawrence Block novels. The movie almost makes you forget you're watching a comedy. It takes itself too seriously for one thing, where they should of really concentrated on one genre. The film too, throws in a couple of added touches, as if to compensate for what laughs there are, in this dry comedy, and slightly dry film. Examples here, is not a badly shot car chase, down those dangerously steep S.F. streets, with too many close ups of cars, flying over ascents. It's hammy. It also, purposely throws in one still slanted street CU shot, you never see coming, featuring cops, Goodman and DeSalvo. You feel like you with them on that incline, a kind of cool shot but really a stupid one. I've never seen a movie do that before, but like I said, you feel this is compensating for it being a misfire, where we feel, too much is poured into this. The film actually starts off with promise in one nifty driven house robbery you could say, that nearly see our Granny disguised Whoopi, busted. The plot has crafty cat burglar/book shop owner Goldberg, set up and framed while knocking over a young stud's place, trying to retrieve some jewellery for an ex lover of the deceased. What I really liked in this movie, though was the surprisingly good performances from the supporting cast, especially G.W. Bailey, while Goodman again make you stand take notice of how good an actor he is, or was too, before I first saw him in Sea Of Love. Vyto Ruginis, was fun too, as a slick haired, bad dude thief, again acting in a film inspired by a Lawrence Block novel (he also acted in '86's', 8 Million Ways To Die, prefore). Bobcat Goldwaith is again annoying, yet likable, as Whoopi's friendless neighbor, save for Whoopi, where an interrogation scene got me more antagonized, than it did Goodman. As for Whoopi's performance, it's hard to tell if it's good or not with these 80's comedies. I felt I was just going through the motions with her. She wasn't really engaging, but she did have her moments. Small ones. Out of interest, or a Whoopi fan, Burglar is worth a view. It's not a bad film at all, but it was intended as a comedy, and on that note, it fails terribly.
Review of Burglar
