With it's (usually) strong actors, bright locale/festival backdrop, plot twists, and array of gadgets, I thought this up-close heist film would have much more punch than it did.<br /><br />The problems are simple- Characters and direction. With the exception of the always lit powder-keg Klaus Kinski, the rest of the cast handle their roles with a collect-a-paycheck style of blandness. The same goes for the the overall feel of the movie. There are many obvious points in the film that should be tension-filled, but somehow, they elicit virtually no reaction. Maybe it's the long stretches of empty talk and predictability between them that causes it.<br /><br />At best, "Grand Slam" will barely pass as a rental when the other choices are few, which is too bad because it showed many traces of potential, but never capitalized on any of them.