The Hot Rock is a 1972 comedy-drama caper film directed by Peter Yates from a screenplay by William Goldman, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel of the same name, which introduced his long-running John Dortmunder character. The film stars Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Moses Gunn and Zero Mostel. After Dortmunder is released from his latest stint in prison, he is approached by his brother-in-law, Andy Kelp , about another job. Dr. Amusa seeks a valuable gem in a Brooklyn museum that is of great significance to his people in his country in Africa, stolen during colonial times and... then re-stolen by various African nations on multiple occasions since. Kelp and Dortmunder are joined by driver Stan Murch and explosives expert Allan Greenberg and concoct an elaborate plan for stealing the gem from a museum in Brooklyn. Although the plan basically works, something always seems to go awry, and the quartet has to steal the diamond again and again. First off, the diamond is swallowed by Greenberg when he alone gets caught by the police during the initial heist.
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