Lassiter (also known as The Magnificent Thief) is a 1984 American heistspy film starring Tom Selleck and Jane Seymour. The movie was made to cash in on Selleck's popularity as the character Thomas Magnum in the television show Magnum, P.I., but it failed to return its budget at the box-office on release. The Magnum, P.I. connection is perhaps most clearly seen by the movie poster tagline: The Magnum Man Hits the Big Screen with a Vengeance.
Nick Lassiter (Tom Selleck) is a gentleman jewel thief in 1939 London, England. He is arrested by the police after breaking into a London mansion and, after being a member of a phony lineup in which he is positively identified by a law enforcement plant, British law enforcement and the FBI blackmail Lassiter to break into the German Embassy and steal $10 million in Nazi diamonds from a German spy (Lauren Hutton), but first he must locate their hiding place. The gems are en route to South America and will be sold to help finance Hitler's military buildup. The authorities want the Nazi diamonds and to put Lassiter away for good, but he has other plans, and a surprise twist ending changes everything.
The film was Selleck's second starring vehicle after becoming an international name with Magnum. He optioned the script himself, showed it to Golden Harvest while making High Road to China and they bought the option.[2]
Selleck signed to make Lassiter before High Road to China came out "because I thought it was a good idea to have another film lined up in case High Road didn't work." The film would be directed by Roger Young, who directed the pilot for Magnum, and the filmmakers agreed to work around Selleck's limited schedule - he could only film between April and June.[3]
"If I'd planned things out maybe I wouldn't have picked two period films in a row," he said. "But this was by far the best thing that came along. I hope I fit into it. I like the clothes and the hook."[2]
Selleck admitted shortly before filming that he was having second thoughts about making the movie. Advance word on High Road was strong and he was offered a number of other movies. However he stuck to his original promise.[3]
Selleck said "in a business where you often hear actors described as children its nice to be treated as a partner and as an equal. I was able to have a lot of input into the script, although it didn't need that much."[2]
"Nick Lassiter is a little rougher around the edges than Magnum," said Selleck. "He's a very self assured character. He should be able to walk into a movie with a certain amount of arrogance and gall."[2]
Receptionedit
Lassiter grossed over $17.5 million at the box office against a $20 million budget, making this a commercial failure.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Lassiter holds a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews as of 2023[update].[4]
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The Magnificent Thief redirects here For the syndicated TV movie see It Takes a Thief 1968 TV series This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Lassiter film news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2017 Learn how and when to remove this message Lassiter also known as The Magnificent Thief is a 1984 American heist spy film starring Tom Selleck and Jane Seymour The movie was made to cash in on Selleck s popularity as the character Thomas Magnum in the television show Magnum P I but it failed to return its budget at the box office on release The Magnum P I connection is perhaps most clearly seen by the movie poster tagline The Magnum Man Hits the Big Screen with a Vengeance LassiterTheatrical release poster by Steven ChorneyDirected byRoger YoungWritten byDavid TaylorProduced byAlbert S RuddyStarringTom Selleck Jane Seymour Lauren Hutton Bob Hoskins Joe Regalbuto Ed Lauter Warren ClarkeCinematographyGil TaylorEdited byBenjamin A WeissmanMusic byKen ThorneProductioncompanyGolden Harvest Pictures Ltd Distributed byWarner Bros Release date17 February 1984 1984 02 17 Running time100 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 20 millionBox office 17 513 452 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 References 6 External linksPlot editThis article needs an improved plot summary Please help improve the plot summary October 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message Nick Lassiter Tom Selleck is a gentleman jewel thief in 1939 London England He is arrested by the police after breaking into a London mansion and after being a member of a phony lineup in which he is positively identified by a law enforcement plant British law enforcement and the FBI blackmail Lassiter to break into the German Embassy and steal 10 million in Nazi diamonds from a German spy Lauren Hutton but first he must locate their hiding place The gems are en route to South America and will be sold to help finance Hitler s military buildup The authorities want the Nazi diamonds and to put Lassiter away for good but he has other plans and a surprise twist ending changes everything Cast editTom Selleck as Nick Lassiter Jane Seymour as Sara Wells Lauren Hutton as Kari Von Fursten Bob Hoskins as Inspector John Becker Joe Regalbuto as Peter Breeze Ed Lauter as Smoke Warren Clarke as Max Hofer Edward Peel as Sergeant Allyce Christopher Malcolm as Quaid Peter Skellern as The Pianist Harry Towb as Roger Boardman Belinda Mayne as Helen Boardman W Morgan Sheppard as Sweeny Brian Coburn as Burto Gunz David Warbeck as Muller Nicholas Bond Owen as FreddieProduction editThe film was Selleck s second starring vehicle after becoming an international name with Magnum He optioned the script himself showed it to Golden Harvest while making High Road to China and they bought the option 2 Selleck signed to make Lassiter before High Road to China came out because I thought it was a good idea to have another film lined up in case High Road didn t work The film would be directed by Roger Young who directed the pilot for Magnum and the filmmakers agreed to work around Selleck s limited schedule he could only film between April and June 3 If I d planned things out maybe I wouldn t have picked two period films in a row he said But this was by far the best thing that came along I hope I fit into it I like the clothes and the hook 2 Selleck admitted shortly before filming that he was having second thoughts about making the movie Advance word on High Road was strong and he was offered a number of other movies However he stuck to his original promise 3 Selleck said in a business where you often hear actors described as children its nice to be treated as a partner and as an equal I was able to have a lot of input into the script although it didn t need that much 2 Nick Lassiter is a little rougher around the edges than Magnum said Selleck He s a very self assured character He should be able to walk into a movie with a certain amount of arrogance and gall 2 Reception editLassiter grossed over 17 5 million at the box office against a 20 million budget making this a commercial failure The film received mixed reviews from critics Lassiter holds a 53 rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews as of 2023 update 4 References edit Lassiter at Box Office Mojo a b c d Mills Nancy 21 August 1983 MOVIES GUESS WHO S THRASHING NAZIS NOW Los Angeles Times p r27 a b Mann Roderick 15 March 1983 LOYAL AMID THE ROYAL TREATMENT Los Angeles Times p g1 Lassiter Rotten Tomatoes External links editLassiter at IMDb nbsp Lassiter at AllMovie Review New York Times Review Review Variety Magazine Review by Roger Ebert Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lassiter film amp oldid 1221280127, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
