dir. Mario Monacelli
writ. Angenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Suso Cecchi d'Amico & Mario Monacelli (screenplay), Angenore Incrocci & Furio Scarpelli (story)
feat. Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Memmo Carotenuto, Rossanna Rory, Carla Gravina, Claudia Cardinale, Carlo Pisacane, Tiberio Murgia, Marcello Mastroianni, Toto
This loose-limbed send up of Rififi rolls amiably through a tale of a hodgepodge gang of bums and crooks joining together to rip off a pawn shop. Trading the taut procedural style of its target for a meandering yet engaging series of gags and character introductions, the story moves joyfully along, winsome and relaxing, with plenty of easy laughs. The inept batch of hoodwinks fall on luck both good and bad, eventually leading them to the big night. Oddly, this is where the plan falters, for the film as much as the heist, the charismatic mood betrayed by sudden seriousness, the laughs slipping, actions suddenly predictable and uninspired. Fortunately, the story soon rights itself with a blissful turn, restoring the airy feeling and scoring a handful of winning moments that complete the tale more effectively than on might have thought possible.
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