I was expecting a complete fiasco from this comical heist film with a not so bad Brooke Shields as suspect #1 in the theft of a very valuable diamond from the Manhattan auction house where she works, taking the audience from the Big Apple to London where the truth is exposed. Yep, Brooke's British accent is phony, and her black eye that she claims she got from a boyfriend magically disappears. Detective Howard Hessman is the New York detective on the case, going from sexy partner Ed Marinaro in New York to none other than Twiggy in London.
While this definitely is not rocket science to figure out, it's a frequently charming and surprisingly better than average caper film that I had expected would be terrible but found myself having a good time with. Shields is only really bad when she's trying to speak with the British accent, even though she basically sleepwalks her way through the rest of the film. Fortunately, she's not the dominant force of the story, and Twiggy is a welcome replacement for her when they get to England until she pops back into the story again. Darren McGavin is very funny in his small role, and the location foorage is quite pleasant to look at. I found Hessman wrong what this card, and which kids switch roles with Marinaro.
Plot summary
The Diamond Trap is the story of a New York City cop (Detective Rollings) and his partner (Brendan). Detective Rollings, a cop on the verge of retirement and in the waiting for a big case, finds himself involved in a cleverly planned heist of $12.5 million in jewels, after he and Brendan apprehend a male hooker attempting to sell stolen goods to a jewelry store owner (Rosencrantz). In a effort to save himself, the male hooker is forced to tell the two cops about the planned robbery of diamonds at the Heritage Gallery. Investigating this story, the two cops are led to a beautiful young woman (Tara Holden) who works at the gallery, and she begins to show signs of nervousness when being questioned about the planned heist, thus convincing Detective Rollings that she is involved in the crime. Consequently, Tara Holden gives herself up, and has no choice but to help the two cops catch the thieves. But their hot leads turn into dead ends through the double deceptions of their beautiful accomplice. Entangled in treachery and intrigue, their ambition to nail the gang turns into an obsession, as they are led into a crazy maze of deceit from New York to London.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Not quite a diamond, but not the prize in a cracker jax box either.
Not too bad TV movie
The Diamond Trap has two things going for it: the presence of the avuncular Howard Hesseman in the lead role and some decent location footage shot in and around London, an unusual luxury for a made-for-TV film. Unfortunately the film is also saddled with a truly wretched performance by Brooke Shields, whose attempts at an English accent are quite bizarre. Nothing special, but if you can overlook Ms. Shields, an acceptable way to kill 90 minutes.