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Family Business (1989)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 10/04, 1/25

FamBiz
1/25: "There's nothing like a good robbery to bring a family together."

Family Business has bad reviews for the wrong reasons. I picked it up because of the three headliners (Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick) and the fact that it's directed by Sidney Lumet. As a result, the expectations were set very high. Overall, I think everybody was disappointed with how ordinary the whole thing was or how the three stars didn't resemble one another, but I don't see it that way.

What I'm impressed with the most is the performances. At first, I thought Dustin Hoffman was winning the competition by being the glue that kept the film together. But Sean Connery won at the end because he's a true character. In short, there's nobody like him. That's reflected by what Matthew Broderick's character said the whole time, choosing to follow his criminal grandfather over his straight-as-an-arrow father.

I don't agree with the son. In fact, he's a stupid, ungrateful prick who got everybody in the mess from the get-go. Look at the mistakes he made on the job which is realistic. Had he finished his master's and got a regular job, the money he'd make in the long run would equal to the amount of the score. His father has done nothing wrong and thus doesn't deserve to be disrespected.

Something else that a lot of people don't pay attention when it comes to Sidney Lumet's New York pictures is the cinematography. Shot on location also in northern New Jersey, it's always impressive with layers of darkness. I was curious why the opening shot settled on a small mound of white powder, and the ending finally answered my question.

Unfortunately, there are two downers. Listening to everybody talk can sometimes feel like a staged play although the dialogue is rich. Oddly, the script was adapted from a novel written by Vincent Patrick. The other is the funeral scene being played twice. Bad idea. Sidney Lumet should've settled on one or the other, and obviously, the latter has to be kept in.

All in all, Family Business is a compelling film about relationships among father, son, and grandfather.