Family Business *** (1989, Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick) – Classic Movie Review 8031

Sean Connery has good fun with his role as an ageing small-time hoodlum, a career criminal called Jessie, in director Sidney Lumet’s excellent, well-plotted 1989 heist thriller Family Business.

It is sharply directed by Lumet, with much suspense and amusing dialogue in the screenplay by Vincent Patrick, based on his own novel. Connery gets the strongest possible support from Dustin Hoffman as his angst-ridden, gone-straight middle-aged son Vito and from Matthew Broderick as his intelligent college-educated grandson Adam, who cooks up the perfect crime.

The film’s only real trouble is the uncomfortable tone change at the end as the crime caper turns from carefree to tragedy, and of course you do have to be prepared to accept the truly bizarre casting. It takes a whole lot of swallowing that Connery, Hoffman and Broderick could be three generations of the same family!

Family Business is a gripping, intelligent, entertaining film, none the less.

Also in the cast are Rosanna DeSoto, Janet Carroll, Victoria Jackson, Bill McCutcheon and Deborah Rush.

Family Business is directed by Sidney Lumet, runs 109 minutes, is made by TriStar Pictures, Gordon Company, Regency International Pictures and The A Milchan Investment Group, is released by Palace (UK) and TriStar Pictures (US), is written by Vincent Patrick, based on his novel, is shot by Andrzej Bartowiak, is produced by Lawrence Gordon and is scored by Cy Coleman.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8031

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