May 2, 1999 -- "Entrapment" is a slick caper, double-cross, love story that is has winning characters, but isn't quite convincing.

The film stars the oldest sex symbol in the business, Sean Connery as Robert MacDougal, or "Mac," a super thief, who hooks up with another super thief named Gin Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones of "Mask of Zorro" and who appears to be practicing for her own "Buns of Steel" tape) for a series of high-tech crime capers. The moral of the story is that crime pays well if you are clever enough at it.

First the two crack a high-security museum to steal a valuable mask and they they team up for an even bigger score, all the while each of them is double-crossing the other. Baker is hooked up with an undercover insurance operation headed by Cruz (Will Patton of "Armageddon") and Mac is hooked up with the mysterious Thibadeaux (Ving Rhames of "Rosewood"). These hooked up people keep lurking in the background.

The double-crosses keep piling up higher and higher until you can't tell what is going on, nor do you really care. It is all in good fun. The plot is thin and does not bear close scrutiny anyway, otherwise you'd start noticing the large holes in it. What makes the film worth watching are Connery and Zeta-Jones, who are very good together and are great fun to watch. They don't exactly make a believable romantic couple, but they appear to be having great fun scampering through this film.

The special effects and stunt work are excellent, reminiscent of the James Bond films, and the photography is also good. Director Jon Amiel does a good job of keeping the story going. The only real problem is the characters in the film are too smart to be fooled by such a dumb plot. This film rates a C+.

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