La bande à César

I agree with moonspinner55's review.

It's painful to watch Wagner play a simple pain-in-the-ass, or Cambridge play a bumbler with no good scenes.

Welch is very pretty, but like everyone else here, her one dimensional character adds nothing.

Nobody here has an interesting character, nor is there any humor evident in the first 50 minutes (after which I stopped).

I enjoy wacky caper comedies, but though this movie tries to be one, it never comes close.

If you spend two hours on this, you're spending more time on it than the writers did.

Not a truly funny movie, but it is amusing. Watching Robert Wagner acting tough is very amusing. Of course there is Raquel in all her splendor. Watching her go-go with Edward G. Robinson (!) is worth the price of admission alone. The supporting characters do the best they can with the cartoon characters they are given to enact. And you get to watch Godfrey Cambridge play the violin!

I've got as much testosterone as the next bloke, and Raquel Welch at her finest is certainly worth a look; but the fact is that a cardboard cut-out could act better, and an hour and half of Ms. W showing off her credentials does not a movie make.

Considering the cast, it's surprising that it's as bad as it is. I've never been a big fan of Wagner, and his tough guy Harry is about as convincing as a 9-dollar bill. Godfrey Cambridge and Vittorio de Sica, both of whom I usually enjoy, seem to be sleeping through their lines; and as for Edward G...well, I can only assume he was there for the paycheck.

This film is a mess: from non-existent plot, through stop-start action and unfunny script to puerile slapstick and annoying 60's 'caper' music. If it weren't for Miss Welch, I'd have given it a 0.

That said, she is a treat to the eyes - even better than her delicious cameo in 'Bedazzled' - and for that reason alone I gave it a 3.

A nice trip to Italy and a good paycheck is what probably got Robert Wagner, Raquel Welch and Edward G. Robinson over from America to make The Biggest Bundle Of Them All. Not to mention Godfrey Cambridgr who has a few funny moments in this routine caper film.

All, but Robert Wagner have no criminal activity to their credit. Wagner has recruited Welch, Cambridge, Davy Kaye and Francesco Mule to kidnap deported old Mafia don Vittorio DeSica to hold for ransom. Problem is that he's so long out of the criminal business no one figures DeSica is worth paying for.

DeSica feeling rejected and unwanted decides to get back in action and this mob of misfits is whom he recruits. He also gets Edward G. Robinson who is a Sam Jaffe like caper planner. Robinson and DeSica decide to rob a train carrying platinum bars.

Somehow this crew with a lot of problems makes it come off. Pretty routine. But the ending with a variation is borrowed from Ocean's 11.

Raquel Welch does look great in a bikini.

This movie is a fun and good enough little movie, that has a weak plot and some poor acting but amuses nevertheless.

This is a pretty weak little comedy that never manages to become really funny. The characters were fun in their potential but somehow it doesn't work out on screen. The movie has perhaps too many characters on which it focuses far too little. It makes the characters as well as the story feel pretty empty and distant. Still thank goodness there is Raquel Welch, who still puts some life and spirit into the movie. Even though her character really isn't that significant it still spices up things. And watching her dance in a bikini is also of course never a bad thing.

The story is too simple and predictable from start till finish, although the premise itself is certainly amusing. Having a bunch of amateur criminals planning a major heist sounds like pretty good comical material but yet the movie in the end does very little with its fine potential and premise. The movie falls flat as a fun comedy but thanks to its characters, which are obviously not to take very serious and a couple of good sequences, the movie still remains an amusing one that might not entertaining constantly but also certainly does not bore.

The acting is really below par, even though the movie has some 'big' names in it. Robert Wagner is terrible as the tough talking guy and wannabe leader of the group. The movie also feature Edward G. Robinson, who was quite a big name in the business in the '40's. He's good enough in his role but his role is too restrained and limited to make a big impression.

Sort of only worth watching when you really have nothing else to do- or watch.

6/10

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