Money to Burn

I caught this film a few years ago at about 3am on local TV.

The quality of this production is reminiscent of "After School Specials" of the 1970s and 80s, but cruder. In a way it is among the worst films I have ever seen, and like a train wreck I just couldn't stop watching it. The plot is filled with absolutely unnecessary exposition combined with forced plot manipulation.

Set in LA the film is a snapshot of the early Regan years in a bizarre naive sort of way. The characters of the two teenagers, "Pops" the mastermind of the heist, and his daughter all capture an innocent optimism.

If you have a taste for crude film making, I highly recommend this film.

I too caught this movie playing during the wee hours of the morning. The totally obscure nature of this movie intrigued me enough to watch it. What did I think of it? Well, there are a number of parts of the movie that could be labelled crude filmmaking. The lighting is terrible - some parts of the movie are so badly lit that you can't tell what is happening. The screenplay also give us almost no look into the three main characters before they team up and plan the robbery. Also, some major plot turns are revealed during the opening credits! Still, the movie has some charm. The acting by the no-name cast makes the characters a likable bunch. And while what happens is somewhat spoiled by the beginning of the movie, there is still some interest in how the robbery is actually pulled off and some other details. This isn't a great movie, but if you are tired of major Hollywood movies and are in an amiable mood, you might find some charm in this poverty-row production.