I am very torn about this. It struck me only after viewing that it’s a tremendous metaphor about capitalism. It’s also a great debut for Michael Mann, even if it’s proto-Heat and he would go on to make his real masterpiece out of the ashes of this.
But at the same time, he struggles with the pacing and the tone. It’s as muscular as Mann ever is and was, but the connective tissue between those muscles isn’t defined yet. He’s confident and brash behind the camera, but he hasn’t got it all figured out.
James Caan was amazing though.