Flawless

Plot synopsis:
A reporter enters a restaurant to interview Laura Quinn, the only woman to ever have been a manager at the London Diamond Corporation. Quinn places a box on the table, pulls out of this box a huge diamond, and says, "I stole it."
The movie flashes back to 1960, when Quinn was still employed as a manager at London Diamond Corporation. She is passed over for a promotion for the sixth time despite being intellectually superior to her male co-workers. When the company is in danger of losing a crucial contract with the Russians, Quinn saves the company with a simple solution, but the Russians will not proceed unless the arrangements are kept secret from everyone except senior management, which excludes Quinn. Quinn is to be terminated. The janitor, Mr. Hobbs, finds out this and warns her. He offers her a place in a plot: stealing enough diamonds to make them rich, but not enough to be noticed.
However, Mr. Hobbs steals every single diamond, almost two tons worth, and holds them for a ransom of 100 million pounds. The head of the insurance syndicate from King's Row is forced to pay the ransom, leaving him financially ruined. Quinn never agreed to this and now finds herself trapped.
The company hires a private investigator, Mr Finch, to keep the matter from going public. Mr. Finch keeps a close eye on Mr. Hobbs and Miss Quinn. Quinn wants to avoid jail time by giving the diamonds back but Mr. Hobbs refuses.
When the president of London Diamond Corporation has a heart attack over the stress of the situation once leaked to Press, Mr. Finch is called away. Miss Quinn runs to the bathroom and cries uncontrollably. She pulls a handkerchief from her purse which held one of her earrings she had taken apart earlier. The diamond from the earring falls down the drain of the sink and into the trap underneath. As she takes it apart and retrieves it, she gets an idea as to how it could have been pulled and where the diamonds could be. She goes down into the sewer under the company and finds Mr. Hobbs guarding a passage. He pulls a gun on her, but she finds a huge diamond on the floor. Mr. Hobbs confesses that he actually wants to ruin the head of the insurance syndicate whose delay in covering Mrs. Hobbs’ medical expenses on cancer treatment resulted in her death.
Once the deadline for the ransom has passed, Mr. Hobbs leaves. Miss Quinn finds the mountain of diamonds and calls Mr. Finch.
Quinn tells the reporter that later on she resigned and received a letter from a bank in Switzerland: Mr. Hobbs had given her 100 million pounds sterling. She confesses to keeping that huge diamond, perhaps as a symbol of the last little piece of vanity. Quinn gets up and walks away leaving a manuscript with the reporter. The manuscript details how Quinn spent the rest of her life donating all of the money to many different organizations.

Tags: revenge, flashback

Review:
Set in 60's London, we meet Michael Caine, who plays janitor "Mr Hobbs", a 15-year veteran employee of the largest supplier of diamonds at the time, The London Diamond Corporation.
(In addition to the fact that she learns she will be terminated shortly) Using their opposite shift work and positions to their advantage, they plan to steal enough diamonds to live their lives out in comfort.Demi Moore has never been much of an actress, but despite her slipping English accent, she gives probably her best performance to date, fading into her role, and for once, playing a character that looks their age.
Director Radford gives us some powerful sequences; one which perfectly captures the political intentions of the film involves Michael Caine's character tossing one of the largest cut diamonds in the world into a bin of tiny uncut stones, which the executives wouldn't floss their teeth with.
Everything works in this movie : The direction, the acting, the shooting, the story and the script - one commentators claimed that it was limited and one dimensional but it is quite on the contrary : the script was written very elegantly with quite a lot of subtelties and these would probably be missed by those who are used the usual wham bahm great Hollywood films.The only (small) flaw in the film was its so called "feministic" flavour, it was completely unnecessary - any, if all, "politically correct messages", would have been understood from the story itself - there was no need to shove it in the audience face.All in all this movie is intelligent, interesting and exciting.
But I'm glad to say that I enjoyed every minute of it.The story is set in the 1960s, so don't expect the heist to be high-tech or complicated like the Ocean's series, Entrapment or The Italian Job. The real gem in the movie is the way it explains itself, all in good timing - it's nice to see a movie that still makes its viewers guessing.Demi Moore and Michael Caine did a good job, and so is the supporting characters, played by Lambert Wilson and Joss Ackland.
Needless to say, that movie critic is now long gone and forgotten, while Michael Caine has simply gotten better and better, aging like fine wine.
With the able support of Demi Moore, in one of her best performances, and the fine direction of Michael Radford, and a wonderful attention to the little details that make a film so much better, FLAWLESS is very much worth the price of admission.
This is a well done film with Michael Caine and the not so young Demi Moore.
The casting is perfect, with Moore as the smart, strong, but emotionally stoic diamond manager; and Caine as the simple janitor with a brilliant plan.
Flawless is a charming, tense, and nicely executed caper movie.I had absolutely no idea how the robbery was done until the revelation: and, like most of us, I have watched enough heist movies to quickly go "Yup, got it!", more often than not, but not here.Excellent understated performances from Demi Moore and Michael Caine, especially in the small facial gestures when stressed and so on.
One of the major attractions for us was that the sense of pace builds slowly - and compared to the Bank Job I have to say this is the better movie.All in all a clever, entertaining film, with a good script and very nice central performances, and even a human message.Definitely recommended.
Set in London in 1960, the aptly named "Flawless" features Demi Moore as Laura Quinn, the first woman to become senior negotiator at Lon Di, the world's premier diamond firm.
However, Quinn has pretty much hit the glass ceiling career-wise with the company, and when she discovers that she is about to be let go from the firm, she agrees to join forces with the night janitor (Michael Caine) in his plan to rob the vault of a thermos-full of uncut diamonds."Flawless" is a good old-fashioned caper tale done with an abundance of wit, intelligence and style and just enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the audience on its toes throughout.
Moore and Caine make a perfect team as the duo plotting the heist, while director Michael Radford generates enough suspense for a dozen average thrillers.
Of course merely labelling it as a heist movie wouldn't be doing justice for the depth of the story exceeds beyond the robbery.The opening sequence of a diamond being extracted from the African mud and then it's transformation till it lands on a woman's finger may look familiar but it doesn't feel stale especially how it gets straight to the point in the following sequence where a pompous young journalist meets an aged Laura Quinn for an interview.
Michael Caine is absolutely brilliant, and Demi Moore is very believable as a frustrated executive who's been passed over for a promotion one too many times - this is her best role yet.
Hobbs (Caine), a janitor in the London Diamond Corp tries to persuade Executive Analyst, Laura Quinn (Moore), to help him heist the diamonds in the vault.
Of course, she thinks Hobbs is mad.This is like the old time movies and takes place in the 1960s in London sono CGI for you.This is very engaging but you really have to pay attention because the audience is whispered to in many secretive meetings like we are part of the conspiracy.
nevertheless this will be appreciated by people familiar with "blood diamonds" , people in search for that realistic European vibe of the 60's and also those involved or with jobs within financial institutions.this will touch you at same level guaranteed providing that you not looking for an "action" flick or "thirller" as advertised on its genre.i must include here the performance of Demi Moore.
this is a picture of a woman that has grown old elegantly and know how to deal with her shortcomings when the "pretty" is just NOT THERE anymore.she expresses a sense of subtle desperation , well controlled , but somehow tragic, in need of a new life experience that she has never seemed to have had it in her youth(as a character, maybe because the work she has put in to get where she is and no further?).the director could not have found anyone better for this role, keeping account of the OLD Demi on the sliver screen...this choice in itself will move you enough to create a realistic state of mind where you can be more practical in your thoughts and assessments of overall issues.
when i started watching this feature i was sure is an American production( because Demi of course), but withing 15 minutes i HAD to check the production and when i saw who made it i had to give an out loud "i knew it!"those being said i have to get the soundtrack!...but then again probably will not go as good as "having it" without the movie..
Flawless is that kind of heist movie; it never does anything out of the ordinary, nor does it add any twists to the standard form of the robbery feature structure, but it nevertheless succeeds in telling an engaging story all the same.
Cemented in place from two absolutely compelling performances from Michael Caine and Demi Moore, director Michael Radford in no way crafts an innovation of the genre, but creates a solid example of why they are still getting made the way they were forty years ago.
Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is a female executive of a company that buys and sells diamonds, a successful figure for the time but nevertheless trapped in her position because of her gender which during the story's timeframe of the early sixties, makes her an unlikely candidate for promotion.
Focusing strongly on character, the act of the heist itself whilst leaving part of the job a mystery to be solved during the movie's latter half, Anderson knows that the best robbery stories often succeed through those three central elements.
To be sure there are major missteps taken with his script, most of which rather irksomely arise during the movie's final act, but for the majority of what is present, he and Radford do very well in convincing the audience that this formulaic throwback is actually worth watching.Part of what makes it so compelling to watch however lies mostly outside of the talents of the writer and director, residing within the talents of lead stars Demi Moore and Michael Caine.
But what Michael Caine talks about at the end brings to mind everything that Michael Moore's "Sicko" showed.Of course, most of the movie does center on the heist planned by Caine and Demi Moore (who does an accent that sounds like a cross between English and American).
When she gets advice from the night time cleaner Mr Hobbs (Michael Caine) who knows a lot more than he lets on to everyone, he offers her a deal: to steal all the diamonds in the safe and share the benefits between them.
What I should mention is that this feels more like a movie played on a quiet Sunday, so don't expect big action scenes or over the top thrilling mystery music that occurs in a lot of these films.
It is simply a clever story told with subtlety that actually adds a lot to the tension halfway.I felt myself caring for Demi's character and she is playing someone who is her own age, which is good.
The film also features Michael Cain, always welcome,as a pre retired janitor working in London's diamond exchange in a time of political turmoil (South Africa ring a bell?).
Its not bad, you know, even though it has essentially two characters: Demi Moore and Michael Caine, neither one known these days for anything remotely interesting.
I don't know if Michael Radford reads any of these viewer reviews, but I have to tell him that I noticed one major flaw in the film's editing......Demi Moore's cigarette was at different lengths during a dialog in her office with Michael Caine.
I did not have too much expectations for Flawless because the heist movies are like a cliché.The only reason I went to see it was because I knew Michael Caine,one of my favourite actors,appeared in this film.But,when the movie ended,I was very satisfied.Flawless resulted to be a very good thriller.The best element from this film is the ingenious screenplay.It is very well structured and there are some twists which make the movie really unpredictable.It also makes a good character development.I am not a fan of Demi Moore but I admit that,with the correct director and material,she can be a competent actress,as we can see on this movie.Caine,as always,brings a brilliant performance.The fails I found on this movie are two.There are some plot holes and,before leading to the satisfactory ending,the movie makes a trick.I would have preferred to see that trick on a less conventional way.But,in spite of that,Flawless is a very entertaining and interesting thriller which tells an ingenious story.I took a nice surprise with this movie..
There have been several diamond heist movies of course, but this one I thought was very good, with a great plot and performances by Demi Moore and Michael Caine.
Besides that, it's a good heist movie and Michael Caine is amazing as usual.
Very refreshing change in the heist film genre.Impressive performances by both Demi Moore and Micheal Caine.
Michael Caine great and Demi Moore isn't bad either.
A reporter comes to interview Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) as a woman manager in a man's world from the old days.
Michael Caine excellent as always, Demi Moore terrific and Lambert Wilson didn't get enough screen time!
A very subdued performance by Caine makes Hobbs a truly moving character.Michael Radford, a very talented director, somehow overlooked in the last decade, is definitely an actor's director.
She's the only female executive and doesn't get the credit she's due, so he figures she's angry enough to take what she's earned.Let's face it, without Michael Caine, this would be a mediocre heist movie.
The heist itself takes second place to the characters: Michael Caine is a janitor at a diamond company; Demi Moore is a brilliant but overlooked manager.
This is a quiet, intelligent little movie that showcases beautiful performances from Michael Caine and Demi Moore.
And in this case she stepped up to the plate with one of the best clean-up hitters of the film industry, Michael Caine."Flawless" is my favorite performance by Demi Moore thus far.
Quin is informed of her dismissal from Hobbs, the night janitor (Michael Caine) in a kind of clandestine meeting at a movie theatre.Later when the two meet again, the hypothesis of stealing a small amount of diamonds from the firm's vault becomes the main topic of discussion, simply for the money.
I stumbled across this little known Demi Moore and Michael Caine movie on TV last night, and on the strength of the lead actors, I decided to give it a go.
She is intrigued, when the mild-mannered night janitor, Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine) approaches her with a daring but simple plan to steal a handful of diamonds from the vault.Joss Auckland has a supporting role and is as reliable as ever.
"Flawless" from 2007 is filled with the "bling" of not only diamonds, but of Michael Caine and Demi Moore, the stars of this caper movie.The story starts in the present day with the elderly Laura giving an interview about female executives of the past.
I'll leave it at that, but that was a pretty big thermos.Really excellent film with a charming, subtle performance by Caine as Hobbs and Moore as the unflappable, cool, beautiful Laura, a career girl at a time when that was much more unusual than it is today.The story will keep you wondering and intrigued up to the very last frame.
Michael Caine is great and Demi Moore is so much better than I thought she was that I had to check the cast list to be sure it was her.It was.Demi is a woman trying and failing to rise in the 60s London diamond business.Caine is a janitor with a difference.
Being a huge Demi Moore and Micheal Caine fan, I knew I would love this film.
I think that if flawless described one thing in the film, it was Michael Cain's portrayal of the role he played as the clever old janitor with a mission.
The lead roles are played by Michael Caine and Demi Moore.
Very good performances from all of the leading cast, in particular, Demi Moore as Laura Quinn, Michael Caine as Mr. Hobbs, Lambert Wilson as Finch and Nathaniel Parker as Oliver 'Ollie' Ashtoncroft.
Nicely shot in that 60's style that seems popular these days, and some very good performances, particularly from Demi Moore and Michael Caine.
Flawless (2007)Another jewel heist film, where Michael Caine as a lovable old janitor masterminds a two- person plan.
I feel those parts dragged a bit and should've been cut shorter.Otherwise, the movie was quite good, Caine entertaining as always and Demi Moore in her only good post-comeback role so far (well, I liked Mr. Brooks but she was wrong for the part).
Superb acting by Moore and Caine, excellent direction and a great script add to a very enjoyable movie.
She decides to take her revenge and help Hobbs with his plan.From that point on, things go exactly as Hobbs had planned, but not at all the way that Laura had predicted creating tension and a mystery that powers the last half of the film.Laura is played to perfection by Demi Moore for she has the acting power to create a hard driving career woman of 1960 with just the right amount of vendibility.Michael Caine is Mr. Hobbs.
For a miserable London day it's definitely out of the right bottle; a 'heist' entry with an improbable pairing in Demi Moore and Michael Caine.
It features an unconventional burglary duo: an ambitious American-born Oxford-educated woman executive, Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) and a mild-mannered old janitor near retirement called Hobbs (Michael Caine).
Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is working in a diamond depository, and is being overlooked despite her obvious genius, probably because she's a female.She finds out she's about to be terminated, and is approached by janitor Hobbs (Michael Caine) to pull off a major heist and show the higher ups who's really boss.
Moore and Caine are flawless in their performances, and it's a positively delightful movie to watch..
The members of the Diamond Corporation would have a great laugh at this film while watching the antics of a janitor (Michael Caine) and top executive ( Demi Moore) planning the theft of diamonds from the Corporation.The characters played by the stars are convincing enough but the actual story is completely unbelievable.The hundreds of million dollars worth of rough diamonds are stored in a room behind a massive door that can only be opened when the combinations of three locks are known.
In Flawless, the movie's main focal point of suspense is Demi Moore.
Demi Moore is a bad actor.Michael Caine makes a strange appearance in this movie.
Demi Moore and Michael Caine are terrific in this movie.
'Flawless' meets two actors who for me are at the opposite poles - Michael Caine who cannot do wrong and Demi Moore who cannot do right.
This may be one of the best films of Demi Moore - I do not know, as I never liked her acting.
Michael Caine and Demi Moore Saves Flawless From Its Flaws.
The only thing going for it are performances of Michael Caine and Demi Moore, and its and clever and original premise.Overall,it is still fun to view for it does not fail to provide entertainment..
So the long time janitor, Michael Caine as Hobbs, comes to recognize her dissatisfaction and tries to enlist her help, to pull off a heist from the vault.