Movie Review—Tower Heist
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, and Casey Affleck
Okay, But, Could Have Waited for Cable (3 
out of 5)
out of 5)This month’s movie review belongs to the film Tower Heist?
An action-comedy film for adults and teens.
What can lead ordinary men to robbery? Managing a residential apartment in New York City, Josh Kovacs, portrayed by Ben Stiller, soon finds out. Josh Kovacs manages this apartment and manages the other employees and he often befriends and trusts many of the tenants. Arthur Shaw, played by Alan Alda, is one such tenant, a financier, entrusted with the employees’ retirement funds. The FBI shortly arrest Mr. Shaw for fraud and Josh finds out the money is gone. With the savings gone, one friend and employee attempts suicide, and others lose their job, anger fuels him to seek out and confront Mr. Shaw. There seems to be no recourse and no hope of recovering the money and Josh’s temper gets him fired. Thus, a plan is hatched. Josh, Charlie, performed by Casey Affleck, and other employees decide to get the money back on their terms, but they need some help. Help and comedy comes in the form of Slide, represented by Eddie Murphy, a local street character that Josh has run into on occasion. The action begins from here, as they scheme and concoct plans to get their money back. Staying under the radar of the local FBI presents its own challenges and roadblocks to their plans, but the plan does somehow come to completion.
This film has a cast of actors that have done tremendous work in the past and they deliver in this film, yet they seem to have been held back by the script or director. The laughs are there but few and the action, though entertaining, has also been limited. With this group of talented players, more was expected in the delivery. Alan Alda, was urbane and witty, while Eddie Murphy was quiet in his comedy and Ben Stiller was really just Ben Stiller in another job. These fine actors were some how not allowed to show their usual genius in what could have been a much better film. This action comedy, though enjoyable, needed more of both.
