Los audaces

A two-hour bank heist flick with the final 20 minutes featuring one of the longest chase scenes I've ever seen on film. In fact, Warren Beatty and the two guys chasing him must have been Olympic marathon runners to keep up that pace for so long, racing through Hamburg, Germany.

This is a mixture of lighthearted and gritty material about an international robbery.

Joining Beatty ("Joe Collins") in the hijinks is a young Goldie Hawn ("Dawn Divine") and "Goldfinger" of James Bond fame, Gerte Frobe. Scott Brady and Robert Webber also give shorter-but- memorable performances. In all, entertaining but not real heavy in the brains department.

Nice to see this has finally been issued on DVD, and has a nice transfer.

This movie is sooo 1970! Take charge know-it-all Americans with long hair, James Bond style villains, lots of (for the time) hi tech gadgets, constant cigarettes, big busted bimbos in short skirts and car chases. Endless car chases! Interminable car chases! Impossible car chases! At my age I tend to regard 1971 as my era. Yet it was over 40 years ago and the movies of that time tended to reflect the James Bond culture. But any movie with lots of trains can't be all bad and much of this film is set on trains, in rail terminals and in rail freight yards. It's dated but that in itself can be interesting. Goldie Hawn with her goofy giggle is always a delight and the late Gert Frobe, although a good guy in this movie, will always be Auric Goldfinger to me.

I loved this movie, and it is one of the more memorable movies I have ever seen. It has the perfect mix of character development, humor, drama, location, kooky characters, shady characters and plot twists. The chase scene climax (lasting about thirty minutes) is similar to that of "The Road Warrior" - something that keeps on going on and where you never get bored. Beatty and Hawn did their best work together in this flick, and it gives the viewer a snapshot of what it was like to be alive in the era of the early seventies. If you are looking to see a "lost classic", this movie will do it.

While some call it light, I suppose that's true, but it's missing the point. $ isn't supposed to be nutritious, it's supposed to be delectable. The joy is in the unfolding story with no explanation of what's going on. Beatty says this method of robbing a bank has never been tried, but doesn't tell you what it is. The robbery starts, and you're still uncertain about how he's doing it. Then a few minutes into it, you get the, "oh. OH!" feeling and it's intoxicating to watch a slow-motion robbery, presented in batches of 60 seconds.

I thought the chase was disappointing in its lack of true variety. Goldie's escape method is good, but in general its inventiveness pales compared to the bank heist technique. And all the puzzles make sense when you watch it a second time. But I'll never forget the feeling I had, watching this movie for the first time with my wife's 80 year old grandparents (!?!?!?), and savoring that joy of uncertainty..."what the heck is going on??" Mystery lovers, bon appetite.

"$" from 1971 stars Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, Scott Brady, Gert Frobe, and Robert Webber. Filmed in Europe, the story is about a bank security expert (Beatty) who plans on robbing said bank -- but only the safe deposit boxes belonging to thieves who can't go to the police. He's helped by a prostitute (Hawn) who has entertained these guys.

Very good heist film, with the world's longest and most exhausting chase scene I've ever seen. You'll be ready for bed by the time it's over. Warren Beatty is terrific as the cool, self-assured security man who somehow remains calm in the face of adversity. Hawn is a riot as a former Las Vegas showgirl who is a nervous wreck about her part in the heist.

I would only say, at 2 hours plus, it's a little long for what it is. They could have cut as much as a half an hour and been fine.