The plot, to say the least, is confusing: a man and a woman playing the old badger game get caught up in a web of sleuthing, multiple identities, and shifting loyalties that leave the viewer wondering what happened. It's hard to find a "good guy" character to root for. Nevertheless, the performances are quite watchable, especially Bobbie Phillips in the lead--she can act, and she's not afraid of a little nudity (full frontal, in fact), nor should she be, as she's drop-dead gorgeous, and has a wonderful set of breasts. (If that's a blatantly sexist observation--well, it's also a true one.) The other actor who compels one to watch is the always dependable Stephen McHattie, he of the evil grin, who shines as the "mastermind" of the whole weird mess. These two actors should be offered roles in far better films than this! Oh, and if you do watch it, you'll get the impression that Robert Wagner gets prominent billing due to his name, rather than his limited footage, and you'll be right, but he does have his moment, very near the end. Performances by the above actors: 8.5 out of 1O. Film as a whole: 4 out of 1O.
13 Reviews
Too much dumb stuff for even Bobbie Phillips' nudity to overcome
MBunge11 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This film has Robert Wagner, Stephen McHattie, a hot naked chick and a bunch of non-American actors trying desperately to suppress their accents. I'll give director Stuart Cooper credit in that he realizes he can't do much about that fourth thing, so he tries to get as much mileage out of the first three as he can. That's still not enough, though, to salvage a plot that's so stupid that even soap opera writing staffs would have turned their noses up at it. And yes, that includes the doofuses who were writing Days of Our Lives when they made Marlena get possessed by the devil.
Maya (Bobbie Phillips) is a surprisingly inhibited con woman who seduces men so her boyfriend Tony (Benjamin Sadler) can rifle through their wallets and siphon money out of their bank accounts. Then, before the poor guys can whip it out, Tony busts in playing the jealous husband and runs them off. It's not the most successful scam in the world, as evidenced by the aluminum trailer down by the river where Maya and Tony live.
A smarter and much more violent criminal named Pierce (Stephen McHattie) then recruits them for a bigger scheme. It seems a rich woman wants to divorce her husband and needs compromising photos of him. Maya is supposed to compromise him while Tony takes the pictures. The husband, Martin (Thomas Heinze), proves surprisingly resistant to Maya's charms, prolonging the scam until Tony is nearly climbing the walls in jealousy.
Martin and Maya eventually fall into bed, but that's when she finds out he's got his own agenda. It turns out that Maya is a dead ringer for Martin's rich wife, so he wants Maya to impersonate her and change the pre nup that will leave Martin with nothing after a divorce. To do that, Maya will eventually have to fool Felix Baumgartner (Robert Wagner), the lawyer who's known Martin's rich wife all her life. It all leads to a string of double crosses and a couple of killings, none of which make a lick of sense, before wrapping up with a scene where you can practically see screenwriter David Howard trying and failing to explain all the holes in his story until he collapses from exhaustion.
As I mentioned before, not everything about Hustle is horrible. Robert Wagner is always nice to see. Stephen McHattie looks mean enough to make any character seem threatening, even when Pierce displays a frat boy's sense of sexual humor. Bobbie Phillips is also a proficient B-movie actress who looks better nude than clothed. Director Cooper also keeps you waiting until the film is half over before showing off Phillips' form, so at least there's some anticipation up 'til then.
The rest of the movie is fairly bad and after Phillips takes it all off, things go even more downhill. To start with, Benjamin Sadler hasn't got a clue what to do and at times resembles nothing so much as that Will Ferrell character from Saturday Night Live who couldn't modulate the sound of his own voice. I don't know what nationality Thomas Heinze is, but it was almost uncomfortable watching him struggle with every syllable he spoke to keep his accent from leaking out. The whole "impersonate someone to change a pre nup" thing is so dumb it'll make you want to stick thumb tacks into that little web of skin between your forefinger and thumb. The dialog includes not one, not two, but three uses of the word "frickin". And topping it all off is an incessant saxophone riff that will have you regretting the instrument was ever invented.
A nice as Phillips looks in her birthday suit, she's not naked nearly long enough to make this film worth anyone's time.
Maya (Bobbie Phillips) is a surprisingly inhibited con woman who seduces men so her boyfriend Tony (Benjamin Sadler) can rifle through their wallets and siphon money out of their bank accounts. Then, before the poor guys can whip it out, Tony busts in playing the jealous husband and runs them off. It's not the most successful scam in the world, as evidenced by the aluminum trailer down by the river where Maya and Tony live.
A smarter and much more violent criminal named Pierce (Stephen McHattie) then recruits them for a bigger scheme. It seems a rich woman wants to divorce her husband and needs compromising photos of him. Maya is supposed to compromise him while Tony takes the pictures. The husband, Martin (Thomas Heinze), proves surprisingly resistant to Maya's charms, prolonging the scam until Tony is nearly climbing the walls in jealousy.
Martin and Maya eventually fall into bed, but that's when she finds out he's got his own agenda. It turns out that Maya is a dead ringer for Martin's rich wife, so he wants Maya to impersonate her and change the pre nup that will leave Martin with nothing after a divorce. To do that, Maya will eventually have to fool Felix Baumgartner (Robert Wagner), the lawyer who's known Martin's rich wife all her life. It all leads to a string of double crosses and a couple of killings, none of which make a lick of sense, before wrapping up with a scene where you can practically see screenwriter David Howard trying and failing to explain all the holes in his story until he collapses from exhaustion.
As I mentioned before, not everything about Hustle is horrible. Robert Wagner is always nice to see. Stephen McHattie looks mean enough to make any character seem threatening, even when Pierce displays a frat boy's sense of sexual humor. Bobbie Phillips is also a proficient B-movie actress who looks better nude than clothed. Director Cooper also keeps you waiting until the film is half over before showing off Phillips' form, so at least there's some anticipation up 'til then.
The rest of the movie is fairly bad and after Phillips takes it all off, things go even more downhill. To start with, Benjamin Sadler hasn't got a clue what to do and at times resembles nothing so much as that Will Ferrell character from Saturday Night Live who couldn't modulate the sound of his own voice. I don't know what nationality Thomas Heinze is, but it was almost uncomfortable watching him struggle with every syllable he spoke to keep his accent from leaking out. The whole "impersonate someone to change a pre nup" thing is so dumb it'll make you want to stick thumb tacks into that little web of skin between your forefinger and thumb. The dialog includes not one, not two, but three uses of the word "frickin". And topping it all off is an incessant saxophone riff that will have you regretting the instrument was ever invented.
A nice as Phillips looks in her birthday suit, she's not naked nearly long enough to make this film worth anyone's time.
Entirely forgettable con artist flick
The_Void29 June 2006
I bought 'The Hustle' as a part of a 'but 3 for £5' sale, so it cost me roughly £1.67, and even though I wouldn't say I'm happy with the purchase; the film is just about worth £1.67. I'm actually a big fan of films where people get conned, and that and the fact that the rest of the films in sale were even worse were what made me decide to buy this one. However, films about con men have seen a lot better days; and Stuart Cooper's film is one part useless, one part extremely unlikely and three parts boring; and all this stuff combines into a film that isn't worth bothering with. The script takes influence from the Demi Moore miss 'Indecent Proposal' as well as a number of other films about grifters, and follows the fortunes of a pair that box describes as 'a modern day Bonnie and Clyde'. Personally, I'd say they're more like those cheats on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. Anyway, their scam is for the lady to take a man back to her room, while the boyfriend drains the credit card. This is all well and good, until someone pulls a gun on them and offers them a chance at a bigger scam. Sorry, I mean 'score'.
The script makes sure it gets all the terminology right; 'mark', 'score', 'hit' etc; but forgets to tell an interesting story with characters worth remembering. Bobbie Phillips is sexy and seductive in the lead role, but everyone else is awful. Benjamin Sadler is phoney and boring, while it's easy to forget that Thomas Heinze and Stephen McHattie are even in the film, despite the fact that they have big roles. Robert Wagner rounds it all off with a small appearance near the end, and like the rest of the cast; isn't worth remembering as he clearly only took the role for the money. The plot features a lot of surprises, but many of them are extremely unlikely and silly - the main plot involving Bobbie Phillips is a big culprit in this respect. The silly plot is offset by a distinctly serious tone, and perhaps the worst thing about this film is the fact that the cast and director obviously thought that they were making a good piece of drama. The score over the top and irritating as well, and while this isn't a complete dead loss; it certainly isn't very good. Avoid, unless you're getting it for £1.67.
The script makes sure it gets all the terminology right; 'mark', 'score', 'hit' etc; but forgets to tell an interesting story with characters worth remembering. Bobbie Phillips is sexy and seductive in the lead role, but everyone else is awful. Benjamin Sadler is phoney and boring, while it's easy to forget that Thomas Heinze and Stephen McHattie are even in the film, despite the fact that they have big roles. Robert Wagner rounds it all off with a small appearance near the end, and like the rest of the cast; isn't worth remembering as he clearly only took the role for the money. The plot features a lot of surprises, but many of them are extremely unlikely and silly - the main plot involving Bobbie Phillips is a big culprit in this respect. The silly plot is offset by a distinctly serious tone, and perhaps the worst thing about this film is the fact that the cast and director obviously thought that they were making a good piece of drama. The score over the top and irritating as well, and while this isn't a complete dead loss; it certainly isn't very good. Avoid, unless you're getting it for £1.67.
Two Words: Bobbie Phillips!
sawyertom20 July 2002
The movie was okay. Nothing spectacular, unless you look at Bobbie Phillips. Man she is hot. I'm surprised she hasn't been in more and better films. This movie is okay. The constant double crosses keep you guessing. It's your average grifter conning another crook film. The only reason to rent this is to see Bobbie Phillips and that is about it.
A mess!
BigGuy11 August 2001
This movie was quite a mess. There wasn't anything really going for it. The only character that had any appeal was Bobbie Phillips' Maya and she wasn't even worth it.
The plot is standard, double-cross the double-crossing double-crosser. With a few too many double crosses to make any sense. Sometimes that means it "keeps you guessing" in this case it "keeps you waiting". By the end I just wanted everyone to get thrown in jail or shot.
The plot is standard, double-cross the double-crossing double-crosser. With a few too many double crosses to make any sense. Sometimes that means it "keeps you guessing" in this case it "keeps you waiting". By the end I just wanted everyone to get thrown in jail or shot.
good movie ... lots of twist.... kinda stupid ending...
afterdarkpak20 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The movie plot is good, some good performance but sometimes its very weird n awkward acting by all lead characters.
But the movie has twists and turns alot which makes the movie exciting . Al thought i really not satisfied with ending .. because in this movie, almost everyone is Bad guy or con persons.
Its about a couple. gf bf , and they are small time con artist , gf has no strong feelings for bf because he is kinda dumb n abusive. But bf somehow has a little feeling as he dont want her to sleep with any person.
so after half of the movie, she kinda dump the bf which he felt betrayed. because she feels good with another person, rich life style. she really felt for another guy until she found out that she gonna get killed also. so she played him too.
Why i didn't like the ending, because she got away. and even left the bf because she wanna do something else or restart the life.
i really wished she could also get caught or worse ... or she could get the money from vault and get away with bf , not alone. because both started together .
But the movie has twists and turns alot which makes the movie exciting . Al thought i really not satisfied with ending .. because in this movie, almost everyone is Bad guy or con persons.
Its about a couple. gf bf , and they are small time con artist , gf has no strong feelings for bf because he is kinda dumb n abusive. But bf somehow has a little feeling as he dont want her to sleep with any person.
so after half of the movie, she kinda dump the bf which he felt betrayed. because she feels good with another person, rich life style. she really felt for another guy until she found out that she gonna get killed also. so she played him too.
Why i didn't like the ending, because she got away. and even left the bf because she wanna do something else or restart the life.
i really wished she could also get caught or worse ... or she could get the money from vault and get away with bf , not alone. because both started together .
Bobbie Phillips Kills!
Jen c5 July 2001
Bobbie Phillips turned in a wonderful performance in this film. As I watched, I realized she WAS the film. Her believability made instances which could have been sketchy, come across with sincerity that sold the film for me. The film has an interesting plot twist as well. Robert Wagner, it appears hasn't changed since "Hart to Hart". Overall, I enjoyed the film.
Unpredictable and Entertaining
skymuze18 February 2001
I first saw part of the movie on television, but the sync of the actors voices was not matched up well. Maybe because the actors spoke English and they were redone in German. This happens often. I was able to retrieve a copy in English through a friend and Wow! I'm glad I waited to watch it. It is a thriller, some say a mix of "Pretty Woman" and "The Grifter". I just know it was enjoyable and just when I thought I knew where it was heading, it surprised me. It also has a fun comedic flair throughout. The American actress Bobbie Phillips is a wonderful actress and played many different characters. She is also quite beautiful. German actor Thomas Heinz is good as well (although this role is different from most things I've seen him in, so it was hard to get used to). Overall, I would say this movie is a must see for anyone who enjoys thrillers.
Now I Get It!*Possible Spoilers*
CKidman7 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
I looked up this movie after seeing it at the video rental.I saw that EVERY comment mentioned the actress Bobbie Phillips.I decided to rent it and Now I Understand the comments.She definitely held the movie together.I don't believe I would have enjoyed it without her presence.Even though the cons are simple and quite boring,I wanted to see what happened to "Maya" (Bobbie Phillips).I didn't care about what happened to anyone else.Although I was happy to see "Martin" get his.I would definitely recommend this to see such an entertaining and beautiful actress.
Enjoyable!
snwmate25 June 2001
I rented this film because it starred Bobbie Phillips. I wasn't even sure what to expect as I've seen Bobbie in martial arts and comedies, so I didn't really know what category this film was. It was kind of a drama/comedy. This film was unique to me in the way the story was told. It would be dark and kind of sad but then it would have funny moments or reactions from the actors. Like life! I thought Bobbie did a marvelous job. It was a side I hadn't seen of her acting. Also, the other characters were interesting. It was hard to figure out who the bad guy was. I would recommend this film highly. Especially given the fact that it is on video and there are limited copies which would make you think it wasn't as good as it is.
uh wasn't it called th hustle? lol
MjcLuvsMe11 June 2004
The movie 'The Hustle' was good. I thought it was kinda funny... i don't know whether it was supposed to be or not....but anyways yea it was funny because everytime you thought Maya was going for one guy she'd skrew him over LoL. But I think Bobbie Phillips is a great actress and shes really pretty so anyone who hasn't seen this movie should rent it!If you like movies where you get lost at times you'll definitely like this one! In the end it all does make sense though so go rent it! NoW! lol. knh, jill
I guess since I have to write 10 lines for you to see this I'll just tell you that Bobbie Phillips is pretty... again. And stop reading this and go get the movie because you will like it!
I guess since I have to write 10 lines for you to see this I'll just tell you that Bobbie Phillips is pretty... again. And stop reading this and go get the movie because you will like it!
Bobbie Phillips ONLY reason to watch!
Jen c28 June 2001
I thought Bobbie's performance was wonderful throughout but, I was not impressed with the two male actors. Robert Wagner was good,as usual. As were most of the supporting actors. I must say though that there was not a lot of believability in the 'Martin' character. He just yelled through the whole film. The 'Tony' character was better but, came off weak next to Bobbie's presence. The film had an interesting plot but,overall had a tv movie of the week feel. Especially the music. I would say,any fan of Bobbie Phillips' will be happy to see her wonderful performance. But will probably think, "When will Bobbie get a film worthy of her talent?".
Bobbie makes it worth seeing...
Stevestg14 July 2001
Although I became a fan of Bobbie Phillips' watching her in action roles "Chameleon" and "The Crow", she proves to be an actress with extensive acting talent. She is superb in all the roles she plays in this film. The film, I thought,was okay but a little slow. Maybe because I'm a big action fan. Even so, I enjoyed watching Ms. Phillips' performance so much I have to give the film an 8 out of 10.
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