Siete hombres de oro

For me it's the best Italian heist movie ever, in a period - the sixties - where such pre OCEAN'S ELEVEN like films were galore; and mostly light hearted, more or less comedy oriented. I guess RIFIFI opened the way, but it was not a comedy of course. This one is not an authentic noir, dark or gloomy story, not a crime drama as was MELODIE EN SOUS SOL or GRAND SLAM. You could compare it with ITALIAN JOB, but the Peter Collinson's film is an action oriented heist, not a burglary as this one. A major huge, gigantic burglary. You can think of TOPKAPI, BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL, OCEAN'S ELEVEN - but the 1961 version, not the crap remake which also threw back this kind of films at the dawn of the XXIth Century, with awful results most of the time. I can't get tired to watch this film, endless times. Great, unconvincing, delusional, incredible, fantastic, a real must see for heist films die hard fans. And the sixties provided such a magic atmosphere....

After I had watched "Ghostbusters 2" I asked myself: "What was that film, in which I have seen this before: Men, claiming to be construction workers, digging a hole in the middle of the street?" Well, this is it. It inspired the Société Générale robbery of 1976 and via it the films that are based on it, i.e. "Les Égouts du Paradis" and "The Great Riviera Bank Robbery" of '79.

Actually, it inspired all caper films that rely on brute force, all the way up to "Die Hard with a Vengeance".

So, a meager 4 (now hopefully 5) user reviews of this film on IMDb is a bit of a shame.

But enough of the credentials. "Seven Golden Men" is the daydream of every poor Italian construction worker of the '60s doing the dirty work for the rich northerners in Switzerland.

It's as simple as that. A true communist, "Stalin the bank robber" kind of film. Well... all things considered... yes, I stand by it.

Its humour hinges on the appearance of safety in the face of industrial machinery, the characters are either ridiculous caricatures or proletarian stand-ins (especially "the Portuguese").

That's what you get. Of course, there are some unexpected turns and such, but this really is a film for people, who've held a diamond-encrusted steel cutter already in their own hands - and for children, of course!

A film that does not age, it is very exciting and with many surprises or reversals of unexpected situations. I, for one, have seen it many times in the last 58 years. Marco Vicario, the director, made an absolute little masterpiece. And, as in most of his films as a director, not too many, only 11, he cast his wife, the beautiful Rossana Podestà. Philippe Leroy is very cool in the role of the gang leader, Albert the Professor. This "7 uomini d'oro" resembles another Italian film made in 1969 by Alberto Lupo, "Sette volte sette", similar title and similar subjects. And, in both films we have the excellent actor Gastone Moschin.

In this caper movie there are lots of bonafide scenes , comedy , action , full of sci-fi gimmicks , tongue-in-cheek and twisted intrigue . Astounding film about a heist with pretty humor and noisy action . The film talks a hold-up to a luxurious bank carried out by a motley group (Gastone Moschin , Gabriele Tinti , Giampiero Albertini , Dario De Grassi , Maurice Poli , Manuel Zarzo) led by the cunning Professor Albert (Philippe Leroy) and the knockout Giorgia (Rossana Podestà). They walk, they talk, they crawl on their bellies into bank vaults . They are pursued by policemen and while happen several betrayals , twists and turns .

From the beginning until ending the good mood and humor is continued . The plot is very amusing and the final has got an extraordinary surprise . This fun flick displays suspense , giggles , slick and not-so-slick criminals , gorgeous dames and results to be very bemusing . Delightful and enjoyable are the perfect words to describe this film . One of the best intrigue/caper movies ever made along with ¨Rififi¨ by Mario Monicelli and ¨Topkapi¨ by Jules Dassin . The highlight and great climax , of course , is the heist which is developed with imposing tension and intrigue . This picture along with ¨Topkapi¨ created during the 60s and forward an authentic genre . The robbing has been imitated thousand times in European films as well as American movies (Mission impossible). Actors' interpretations are excellent , as Philippe Leroy is magnificent as Le Professeu , José Suárez as Bank manager is top-notch and specially Rossana Podesta is a wow . Support cast is frankly well including Italian players as Gastone Moschin , Gabriele Tinti , Giampiero Albertini , Maurice Poli and Spanish ones as Juan Luis Galiardo and Manuel Zarzo .

Atmospheric cinematography by Ennio Guarnieri from nice color 16mm print and shooting in front of "Credit Suisse" in Geneva , Canton de Genève, Switzerland and Lazio , Rome . Catching and original musical score by Armando Trovajoli . The picture was well directed by Marco Vicario (Rossana Podesta's husband) . Vicario was a good filmmaker who wrote/produced/directed several comedies as "Paolo the Hot" , "The Swinging Confessors" , ¨Homo Eroticus¨ , "Erotomania" , "The Persian Lamb Coat" , among others . This cheerful motion picture attained a lot of success and originated copies , rip offs and awful imitations . Followed by a sequel : "Seven Golden Men Strike Again" or "Marco Vicario's Seven Golden Men Strike Again!" that is also filled with cool sci-fi gadgets , including flying jetpacks . This fast moving , intrigue thriller yarn will appeal to comedy enthusiasts and robbery genre fans . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching .

I was lucky enough to catch this on DVD in Japan of all places, as the previous reviewer indeed mentioned that's about the only place you'll actually find it! Unfortunately it's either in Italian or English dubs minus the subtitles, never the less it was well done with actors attempting regional accents. This film truly seems to be a forgotten classic, rivaling anything like the original Italian Job, Topkapi or How to steal a million. Full of twists, smart criminals, dumb criminals, glamor, cheesy 60's "technology" and a catchy soundtrack. Essentially it's about a brilliantly planned and executed robbery of a gold depository in Switzerland. The problem is, how do you get several tonnes out gold bars of the country? The fun is finding out for yourself! Highly recommended. 7/10