Tower Heist: Movie Review

We all know how Eddie Murphy has suffered countless failures and it seems that the man can do no right (except his character "Donkey" in the "Shrek" series). His brand of comedy quickly became old, stagnant and repetitive (playing multiple characters anyone?). Well, "Tower Heist" is the comeback movie for Eddie Murphy. It's this brash, almost-uncensored lines that makes "Tower Heist" damn funny. Mind you though, it's not only Eddie Murphy who is worth watching - it's the whole cast and movie.

Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the building manager for the most expensive high-rise condo in New York. It's most prominent tenant is Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) who has a close relationship with all of the staff at the building. One day, Arthur Shaw is apprehended by the FBI for fraud and having a Ponzi scheme. Josh and the building staff soon find out that their pensions were handled by Arthur Shaw and that all of it was already missing. Josh decides that the only way to have justice is to get their money back by robbing Shaw. He enlists the help of his neighbor Slide (Eddie Murphy) to teach him and some of his friends how to do a proper heist.

The best assets of "Tower Heist" is its cast of characters and the actors portraying them. Everyone of them had their own unique personalities, each contributing to the film's well-paced comedy. The story also rings a bell to most of us regular people. The recession, Occupy Wall Street, Ponzi and Pyramid scams - "Tower Heist" makes sure that things are interesting from the get-go and makes you laugh at all the world's problems. Although it may present things at a really positive level (think Robin Hood), a little laughter and hope won't kill you. The only negative thing we can see with "Tower Heist" is that it is not as clean as other heist films. The film had this knack to jump to conclusions - never really showing the audience how the heist was planned properly or even ended. One day, Josh Kovacs and his cohorts are amateurish crooks but the next day they are so damn good at stealing that you would think these were the same men who composed Ocean's Eleven. This is more evident with the ending and how they got the "pot of gold" out of the authorities hands. Still, "Tower Heist" was exciting and fun and definitely way better than what we expected. This film may not turn into a classic due to its inability to delve deeper into the details but it at least made sure you laugh your lungs off while at it.

Rating: 4 reels

Why you should watch it:
- the film is definitely one of the funniest films we have seen all year
- this is the long-awaited of Eddie Murphy to full form

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the actual robbery is not as clean as some classic heist films
- some characters were left out like FBI Agent Claire Denham

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