User reviews

"$" 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.

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.

I like heist movies. This one is a bit different.

I liked the style of the movie a lot. The music and the camera work were pretty interesting.

I noticed some reviewers were confused by the plot. It's the viewers job to fill in some blanks. Some people will dislike that, others will appreciate that their intelligence is not being insulted.

The movie consists of three main sections. The intro, the heist and the getaway. Goldie Hawn is adorable in the intro section. Beatty does a nice job during the heist section. The getaway is the weak part of the movie, if only because it challenges my ability to suspend my disbelief. Some parts of it were cool though.

I think Beatty was convincing both as a security expert and thief. Hawn, as mentioned above is adorable (I admit I have always found her attractive.) Reasons to watch the movie - you like Beatty, you like Hawn, you like heist movies (though there are better,) or you like quirky 70s movies. The last item should not be overlooked, because there's a distinctive style in certain 70s movies that's no longer seen - for example the implication that sex and drugs and alcohol is simply a lifestyle, rather than a problem that needs to be addressed.

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.

An entertaining Beatty/Goldie Hawn flick that really has nothing to say, but moves along like a freight-train and keeps your interest. Goldie Hawn was never cuter (except Shampoo w/Beatty) before she turned into Shirley MacLaine. Gert Frobe (Goldfinger) is befuddled and amusing. Beatty would make a great film the same year (McCabe & Mrs. Miller).

Don't expect much and you'll have a ball. Throw in Scott Brady (Lawrence Tierney's little brother) and other evil Germans and robbery becomes cool. I believe Richard Brooks directed this (In Cold Blood). He must have needed some fast cash. 6 out of 10. Best performance = Goldie Hawn.

In Dollars, clever bank-security guy Warren Beatty teams with a kooky call girl (Goldie Hawn) to steal from three disparate criminals, who have each chosen to store their ill-gotten gains within the bank's safe-deposit boxes. Beatty's Joe Collins is cool and methodical, and Hawn is a true delight as Dawn Divine, although the movie suffers from a lengthy run time and an ending that seems sort of a meaningless afterthought.

Collins works for a bank in Hamburg, Germany that is on the cutting edge of technological security. Among other things, the bank has - get this! - a 24-hour closed-circuit camera inside its safe, the better to monitor would-be evil-doers. Much is made of this awesome camera. Kind of makes one pine for the days when security cameras were a new thing.

At any rate, Collins and Divine have picked out three nefarious marks - a corrupt sergeant (Scott Brady), a Vegas mobster (Robert Webber), and a drug dealer (Arthur Brauss) - each of whom has deposited dirty money into a safe-deposit box in the bank. These boxes are much as they are today, although the bank employees very pointedly do not get to see what is in them; privacy, you see, is a big selling point for the bank wishing to attract more and more foreign interests.

The plan is to move the monies from the three boxes to Divine's own safety box. Plenty of planning goes into this, and it culminates with a wonderfully tense scene in which Joe, trapped in the safe, attempts the exchange. It's only a matter of time, though, before the various baddies discover what's happened, and there's a long, long chase scene - mostly on foot! - that eats up a chunk of film near the end of the movie.

Hawn is at her giggly, risqué best (this would be during her Laugh-In days), and Beatty stays true to type as the Man with the Plan, the cool cat. I particularly enjoyed how anxious Hawn's Divine is at her own role in the heist - for a phone call she must make, she has her lines written out longhand, and yet she still can only whisper them to the bank's manager, played by Gert Frobe (Auric Goldfinger).

The ending felt like it was lacking something, perhaps some panache or some cohesion. It's almost as if someone woke up in postproduction and realized there was no actual climax and then hastily wrote one in. In fact, after reading a synopsis on IMDb, I wondered if I'd seen the same ending - interestingly, the IMDb synopsis made even less sense than the one I saw.

Finally, there's the issue of the editing and/or direction - the former was too choppy, the latter too rapid. When your movie features an intricate plan, maybe it's best not to rush through every step, forcing your viewers to keep up. Even when we could keep up, it seemed as if some plot elements were missing entirely, leading to many questions left unanswered.

American banking engineer, orchestrating the opening of a high-tech new bank in Germany, conspires to rip-off a gang of crooks and low-lifes who keep their loot in private boxes at the branch. There is quite a long set-up to the protracted chase in this film; luckily it involves a daffy, wonderful Goldie Hawn as a hooker/accomplice to thief Warren Beatty. Hawn is a living, breathing cliffhanger, you never know what she's going to do next. In the middle of the hysteria, there's a beautifully modulated moment where she tells Beatty about a screen-test she did for the movies ("First take, nothing. Second take, I dunno know...tears. Third take, I forgot my own name. And I made it up myself!"). The chase takes up about two entire reels, and it's been edited with hairbreadth timing. I also loved what first appeared to be a twist ending: someone dupes someone else, and then in turn gets duped. It would've been an awesome climax, but there's a weird tag at the very end of the picture (ostensibly to wrap it up with a bow) which is sort of a letdown. It seems to involve none of the participants--only their props!--which leads me to believe this was a post-production/last minute decision. Still, "$" (pronounced "Dollars") is funny, smart, and filmed in a cool, jazzy style that is no longer fashionable but certainly memorable. ***1/2 from ****

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.

Goldie Hawn seems as much to have admitted that she took her role in $ where she got to co-star with Warren Beatty for a chance to get a free trip to Germany and specifically Hamburg. As it turned out it was an average caper film which did show Hamburg off to the world.

One thing I was curious about was satisfied. In its day Hamburg was known as a place for good times and a lot of $ was shot in the famous Reeperbahn district a place where many travelers partied. If you remember Ship Of Fools, the Nazi favoring publisher Jose Ferrer entertains the passengers with a German ballad On The Reeperbahn a rather lusty number. Now I finally get to see what he loved.

Beatty is a security expert and Hawn is a call girl and Beatty works for a bank in Hamburg where many criminals hide cash of all kinds laundering their dirty money. Cash and other illegal items as well. Specifically drug peddling Arthur Brauss, mob lawyer Robert Webber, and army sergeant Scott Brady who has a lucrative smuggling sideline.

I will say Beatty's plan was both devastatingly simple and took advantage of his position. You'll have to see what it is. Goldie's charms also come into play.

$ is not the greatest film for either of the stars, but their fans should be happy.

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.

How the hell did they get this made?! Presenting itself as a caper comedy, the misbegotten "$" is essentially two hours of people mumbling sentence fragments. The usually dependable Warren Beatty looks drunk, and the usually hilarious Goldie Hawn acts like she's on depressants. As for Gert Frobe, his most famous role - Goldfinger - was infinitely more admirable than his character here. Not even the guy with the champagne bottle of LSD can save this litany of worthlessness.

Am I comparing this movie to "Plan 9 from Outer Space"? I wouldn't do such a thing even if someone paid me. "P9FOS" was idiotically made but ended up hilarious; this was idiotically made and causes you to feel like your brain just melted out of your ears. Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn made up for this when they co-starred in "Shampoo", but then they co-starred in the dreadful "Town & Country". Maybe they just shouldn't co-star in movies. All in all, I would rather have my skin torn off than have to watch this again. Awful.

Maybe they should remake it with Jackie Chan. Then I would pay to see it.

is when each of the crooks get the big surprise in the vault! This movie is one of my favorites. I really liked the pacing, the direction and the plot concept. While Goldie Hawn doesn't really seem quite like a prostitute, she really carries the movie. One particular memorable moment comes when she bathes her hands with money and asks herself if there is some connection between crime and sex. Warren Beatty is also good. I particularly liked Scott Brady's perfect caricature of American chauvinism. Arthur Brauss is haunting and memorable as the sociopath drug dealer. I personally found the long chase scenes in last part of the movie to be out of sync with the rest of the film.

This complicated and tortuous story of a big bank heist in Germany begins slowly. I think "slowly" is the right word,, although maybe "impenetrably" would be more apt. At any rate I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. It's clear early on that extremely handsome Warren Beatty is a bank security specialist and Goldie Hawn with the enormous blue eyes of a child's doll are in cahoots to rob some illegal money. Maybe.

The lead may be deliberate but the pace picks up during the crime itself and practically goes apoplectic during the lengthy climax, which does not involve a shoot out, Gott sei dank, but only pursuits on foot, by car, and on trains. The running that Beatty alone does would give me a heart attack in a few minutes, and never mind the ancillary dangers. Speaking of heart attacks, Scott Brady looks seriously at risk. He has a raspy New York voice, a ruddy complexion, jerky motions, lanky hair, and he seems to sweat gallons.

It's a longie, but it's probably worth watching. The performances are all appropriate and up to professional standards except one (Robert Stiled as an unconvincing US Army major). Gert Fröbe is memorable and the lascivious bank manager.

Brooks has directed with style -- efficiently and without memorable touches.

$ is a light comedic heist movie with some solid performances from its lead stars Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn. The film is set in Hamburg Grtmany and most of the film was filmed there.

The movie starts out with the crooks depositing there money in safe deposit boxes. While Joe Collins(Warren Beatty) is giving security tips to the banks manger. Dawn Devine (Goldie Hawn) is a hooker who seems to have a connection to some of the crooks and Joe. Joe conceives of a way to steal the crooks money because they cannot go to the police for protection. It ends with a fairly good chase scene and the rest plays out as you would expect.

The acting in this film is first rate from Beatty and Hawne down to many of the supporting actors. The film is fast paced and moves along at a good pace. I did not like so many dark night time scenes these are done much better now with digital cameras.

Overall an enjoyable light film that seems to go down well.

Grade C+

This heist film stars Warren Beatty as the bank employee who is the mastermind and Goldie Hawn as the confederate who helps him pull off the crime. The crime cleverly targets those who will not report their losses. And the scheme, which plays out during much of the film, is intricate and intriguing.

The latter sections of the film are about one long chase.

In all parts of the film, there are obstacles that have to be overcome, adding realism. Mistakes are made, people slip up, and there are unexpected complications.

The film was shot in Germany and production values are strong. Director Richard Brooks seemed to have considerable resources at his command. Both Beatty and Hawn were on the cusp of screen stardom and everyone knew it. Brooks had many successes under his belt, including "Blackboard Jungle", "Elmer Gantry" and "In Cold Blood".

Fans of Beatty and Hawn should enjoy this film especially. But if you like heist films, this is worth a watch.

An underrated Euro-American hybrid heist movie starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn

Outside security consultant Warren is the inside man who has a cunning plan, which involves cleaning out the safety deposit boxes of villains only, who he has identified via a network of female friends in low places. It's a pretty nifty plan and things go well, however, although the villains may not be able to go crying to the Police about the loss of their ill-gotten gains, it doesn't mean they have to take things lying down. Previously they have been given ample opportunity to demonstrate their nasty credentials during the first act, in true 1970s cinematic tradition, so when they come after Warren and Goldie, the audience can take the threat very seriously. Exciting chases ensue.

The heist sequence is nicely handled, with enough things not quite going to plan to keep the tension level up. The chases are also well filmed for the most part and the villains meet suitably nasty ends. There is also an interesting sub plot involving champagne.

The movie is spiced up with some "European" styling, unusual soundtrack noises and funky camera angles, which are needed, as Hamburg is a rather dull setting, seemingly always overcast and dank looking. Because its winter of course, but why? Perhaps it was just the only time Warren had free in his calendar that year? Actually, to be fair, the winter setting does come in very handy later, when it's comes time to off one of the main villains (fisty-cuffs and gunplay not being one of Warren's strengths), but most of the time it's just a bit of a downer. And why Hamburg? Maybe the City council chipped in some tax breaks or something? They do make some use of the Reeperbahn, but a similar location could have been found in any major city.

Warren's 1970s Hollywood playboy haircut looks jarringly out of place sitting on top of a security advisers suit in a conservative German bank. As if he and Goldie just walked in from the set of "Shampoo" to Hamburg, but in fact it they were filmed the other way around. Goldie is still in "Laugh In" mode, relying mainly on her cuteness factor, big eyes and giggly charm. Gert "Goldfinger" Frobe is perfect as the baffoonish bank manager, while Arthur Brauss and Scott Brady are both excellent in their different ways, as the main villains.

Little Richard contributes sporadic musical snippits, mainly in the night club scenes, which also feature sporadic nudity.

Enjoyed this film which had plenty of action and comedy along with lots of chasing around on frozen ponds, railroad trains, elevators, taxi cabs. In one scene a great deal of time is spend inside a large Safe Deposit Vault which keeps you glued to the screen. Goldie Hawn (Dawn Divine),"The Banger Sisters",'02, gives plenty of laughs along with Warren Beatty,(Joe Collins),"Town & Country",'01. who gives a great performance in almost every scene, especially on the Frozen Lake with a car chasing him all over the place. Scott Brady,(Sarge)performed a great supporting role trying to catch up with Joe Collins. If you enjoy the acting of Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty and want to see a film produced in 1971, this is the film for YOU!

Goldie Hawn, after Laugh In and Cactus Flower! Warren Beatty, before Shampoo. he never was my favorite actor. some of the songs written by Q. Jones, and performed by Little Richard. Americans in Hamburg come together to rob a bank. Dawn is a hooker, Joe is a security expert. they figure that if they only steal from the bad guys, the police won't be brought in to investigate. the banks in Germany offer complete privacy, unlike those in other countries, so there are some pretty big stashes stored in those bank boxes. One annoying thing -- every couple minutes they play a LOUD high frequency buzzing sound, to evoke the thought that this is all from a recording.... but after the first two times they do it, it is just ##$% loud and annoying, and really distracted from the story. it is a fun bank heist, but if they had make a couple easy changes, it could have been a Great film, not just an okay film. Written and directed by Richard Brooks, much later in his career. Brooks worked on some high profile films, and even won the oscar for Gantry.

The pakage implies that Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn are pulling off a huge bank robbery, but that's not what I got out of it! I didn't get anything! In the first half there's a new character (without introduction) in every other scene. The first half-hour is completely incomprehensible, the rest is just one long, annoying, underlit chase scene. There's always an irritating sound in the background whether it's a loud watch ticking, a blaring siren, a train whistling, or even the horrible score by Quincy Jones. There are a lot of parts that are laughably bad, too. Like, the bad guys chasing Beatty on thin ice with a CAR! Or, the police arriving at the scene roughly fifteen times. I really hated this movie!

"$" is a caper film typical of its era; slickly made and photographed but cold and soulless.The first half is a series of rambling, disconnected scenes; the second half is a long, boring chase, which is not filmed excitingly enough to sustain our interest. And there is never much tension in the movie, because the characters are too indifferent for us to really care about the development of their adventures. (**)

Yes I watched this entire drab film including the endless Warren Beatty chase scene on the frozen lake. If anyone did not figure out instantly how that particular chase scene was going to end (Beatty running on foot with his stolen stash in a suit case on thin ice and the not too slick Candy Man, Arthur Brauss, spinning circles in his car driving around the running Beatty) then I pity the fools who didn't see the obvious occurring.

The point is this crime/thriller was predictable from the get go and it just showed that Beatty's career was on the downside even after the 1975 release of Shampoo. Beatty was type cast forever as the suave and charismatic schemer and Goldie Hawn played the ditzy dumb blonde again and again and again.

The other scene which took 20 minutes to complete was Beatty hiding in the bank vault pretending to be safely securing a gold bar when in fact he is avoiding the in bank vault video camera by sequencing his thievery as the video camera rotated throughout the vault.

What both of the above scenes have in common is they both have us going around in an endless circle which starts and ends nowhere just like this drab film. I give it an 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.