Opération fric

A very enjoyable crime movie, which has somehow been lost on contemporary audiences. I've mentioned it to several friends, none of them have ever heard of it.

The plot is original, not just a by-the-numbers bank caper. Seven criminals break out of prison to commit the perfect robbery, then sneak back into prison before anyone is the wiser, so one will suspect them of the crime. Lionel Stander and Terry Thomas were great, as was most of the cast. The film was definitely low budget, but like Day of the Wolves and the Naked Prey, less was more. I won't give away the ending, except to say it's unexpected and perfect. The last five minutes alone are worth the price of admission, and Lionel Stander delivers one of the best lines of the decade. "Please, just take me back to prison..."

No doubt sooner or later Seven Times Seven will be remade as Ocean's Seven or whatever, but it will no doubt lack this film's innocence and imagination. Look for it on video if you can, or possibly on late night TV. Not the slam bang action Hollywood cranks out these days, but overall far more enjoyable.

A diverting bit of fluff. Not as good as a similar movie made the previous year, "Who's Minding the Mint?" I saw a dubbed version of this movie, and that also detracted from the movie. The addition of Lionel Stander made this movie worth watching. A group of convicts breaks out of prison to print their own money while everyone in the country is engrossed in the big soccer match, hoping to get back in their cells before the game ends. Stander, however, only wants to break out of prison and get away. A good plot, a few lags (unlike in "Who's Minding the Mint?"), and familiar faces like Aldolfo Celli and Terry-Thomas thrown in in small bit-parts. Hardly a classic.