Joe Moore is so cold, when he sleeps, sheep count him.”” So goes the description of Gene Hackman’s character in his latest film “”Heist.””

Problem is, our appreciation for “”Heist”” is as cold as its own stylistic world of thieves.

When Moore’s face is caught on camera during a robbery, he and his band of merry men, Bobby Blane (Delroy Lindo) and Pinky Pincus (Don Pincus), plan to leave their life of crime. But when Moore’s shady employer, Bergman (Danny DeVito), refuses to pay up and insists on another job, Moore and his men must comply with the added and unwanted manpower of Bergman’s nephew.

Why not just walk away? Because according to Moore, “”Love makes the world go ’round: love of gold.””

“”Heist”” seems timeless. Between DeVito’s chaotically patterned shirts, Lindo’s Coke-bottle glasses and the monochromatic visual tone of the film, one begins to wonder what era the cast is in and whether the characters are simply living in a time warp.

While the monochromatic ambiance does take our focus away from the film’s surroundings, it draws our attention to the convoluted dialogue of the characters. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Stylistically, the banter between individuals is unique, yet the effect is more of an middle-aged thieve’s jargon that is hard to understand.

Despite the difficult dialogue, the physical interaction between the characters adds to the sense of a well-oiled theft operation. It turns out that experience does in fact come with age. Unfortunately, an audience that is too inexperienced with the art of robbery will be unable to fully appreciate the lingo.

Surprisingly, “”Heist”” lacks many of the formulaic con movie must-haves. There is no car chase, but they do manage to blow something up — twice.

“”Anybody can get the goods. Hard part is getting out,”” Moore quips. While “”Heist”” delivers a interesting modification to the standard con movie, the goods are hardly worth leaving with.

Heist

**

Starring Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo and Danny Devito

In theaters Nov. 9

Rated R