User reviews

An elderly school teacher (the late great Edward G. Robinson) employs an electrotech (Riccardo Cucciolla) , a playboy (Robert Hoffmann), a safe cracker (Georges Rigaud), and a military man(Klaus Kinskey) to complete a daring heist of 10 million in diamonds from a vault in Rio De Janeiro. This crime caper has a good buildup, the heist suitably engrossing. I could see the end coming (mostly), but that didn't detract much from my overall enjoyment of the movie. It still remains among the top caper movies that I've seen.

My Grade: B+

Blue Underground DVD Extras: Poster and Stills Gallery; and Theatrical Trailer

Eye Candy: blink and you'll miss tiny boobies courtesy of Jussara

"Grand Slam" is a nice heist film, in search of an ending that makes some sense. The cast includes Janet Leigh, Klaus Kinski, and Edward G. Robinson, so the acting is totally acceptable. The intricate diamond caper is also depicted quite well, and the Rio locations another plus. What seems like an endless build up to the actual heist pushes the film into too long territory at just over two hours. Despite the length, interest is maintained until the startling surprise conclusion, an ending that will leave the bewildered audience gasping in disbelief after all that has preceded it. I defy anyone to explain the logic behind the ending of this film. To put things in perspective, even if things did take place off screen to support such a finale, it is far from believable, and leaves a very bad taste that is likely to linger for quite awhile. - MERK

Throughout the world, men with money and those without have created a game which for all practical purposes will never end. Those with wealth seek to design a box which will keep their valuables safe. Those without money then seek to break the box of riches even if it's against the law or if it's dangerous. Hopefully the 'box-makers' will eventually come up with a fool-proof design which will keep the thieves out. That is the premise of the film called " Grand Slam." Edward G. Robinson is Prof. James Anders a mild mannered school teacher who after years of research has discovered the 'perfect crime.' for stealing valuable diamonds worth millions. Secure that he has a fool proof scheme, he visits an old mafia friend, Adolfo Celi is Mark Milford and asks for a special team of professionals. The men chosen include Robert Hoffmann who plays Jean-Paul Audry a world re-known playboy and suave lady-killer who will meet his match in a cold, dispassionate secretary (Janet Leigh) with a secret. Klaus Kinski is Erich Weiss a military man who does not quit a job until it's conquered. Riccardo Cucciolla is Agostino Rossi and George Rigaud is Gregg, professionals in their own right. Together they accept the challenge of what is a deemed an unbreakable, thief proof safe. called the " Grand Slam 70 " series. A film which has become a favorite of many E.G. Robinson fans. ****

Released in the USA by Paramount as GRAND SLAM in the late sixties, this slickly-made heist film is a first-rate effort exploiting the Jules Dassin classic, RIFIFI. The all-star international cast is exceptional, with Klaus Kinski being the standout. One of the best of it's kind, and still enjoyable today. Ennio Morricone wrote the eclectic score, featuring some catchy bossa-nova tunes to complement the location. Thanks to Image Entertainment, the picture is now available on DVD in a widescreen version to capture all the excitement! Check it out.

An all too familiar story in our world: A professor with too much time on his hands plots a diamond heist and enlists the help of a New York mobster and a team of nefarious experts who's specialties run the spectrum of various prerequisites for daring jewel capers, such as safe-cracking, etc. No surprises here- although one member of the team is a professional playboy- and are there really such things? How does one earn the title of playboy?- who's only job is to seduce the icy secretary with the key to the vault! You'll probably see the twist coming but they keep their cards close to the vest so there's still a tinge of surprise at the end. Fans of Kinski will not find a heck of a lot to snicker about as they watch their favorite crazy-friend-of- Herzog plod through another flick he probably just did for money. While Kinski isn't quite plausible as a hardened military man, he does a pretty fine, straight job in this role. Good times, all around.

This is a surprisingly good little crime drama that has been largely forgotten since 1967 - which is a bit of a shame. Edward G. Robinson is a retired professor 'Anders" who assembles a rather disparate gang in order to execute the most fantastic of heists, from a seemingly impregnable vault, that will leave them the proud owners of $10m in diamonds. His meticulous, almost "League of Gentlemen" (1960) , planning accounts for every detailed aspect of the security around these jewels, and the execution of this part of the plot is (safe) cracking. As usual with most robbery stories, the plot seems to peter out after the criminal denouement, and sadly the ending is just a little to predictable. Good efforts from Klaus Kinski, Robert Hoffman and Janet Leigh as the duplicitous "Mary Ann" - alongside some really innovative use of some shaving foam - keep it enjoyably paced, and quite a bit better than average. The score is quite annoying, and the dialogue could do with just a shade of tightening up, but it's a good looking enjoyable escapade that I rather enjoyed.

What a brilliant caper movie! Before I go on, though, I need to point out that this movie is a reworking of the movie Rififi (1954)--a French caper movie. While Rififi generally gets higher marks among critics, I also liked this one.

The movie is unusual in that it has such a multinational cast and quite a bit of the movie is dubbed because of this. This didn't matter to say the least. However, it was interesting to see Adolfo Celi in the movie. He was the lead villain in Bond's THUNDERBALL and in this movie his voice is dubbed with a totally different voice and so he sounds a lot different.

Now on to what I loved--the complicated and exciting plot. It just keeps you guessing again and again--even up until the last scene. Also, the acting was great and the characters were well-written--everyone seemed to be at the top of their form.

So, if you want a movie about a gang of thieves pulling the ultimate heist and want to see one that's among the best, give this film a try--if you can find it, as it's not exactly a well-known flick. Perhaps with so many films like it ("Topkapi", "The Killing""Bob le Flambeur" and many others) it just got lost in the process.,

Rififi is a great movie, and like most great movies; it's often imitated, although unlike films such as The Exorcist, Jaws and Alien; the Rififi imitations are usually quite good. The field is lead by Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece 'The Red Circle', but following hot on its heels is this excellent little Italian thriller. Grand Slam mixes an intricate plot, interesting characters and a bucket load of style and the result is a film that constantly thrills and entertains. The plot follows the fortunes of a varied group of criminals brought together to carry out a daring robbery. Schoolteacher James Anders notices a chance in Rio de Janeiro to steal ten million dollars in diamonds and contacts his friend who gets in touch with several specialists to carry out the job. Aside from the obvious safe crackers, they also recruit a tried and tested womaniser to steal a key from a secretary. Everything is put into place for the robbery to go to plan, but naturally there are more twists and turns in store for thieves to deal with.

Grand Slam is an Italian film but features a host of international talent, including Hollywood performers Edward G. Robinson and Janet Leigh acting alongside cult stars such as Klaus Kinski, Robert Hoffmann and Adolfo Celi. The cast comes together very well and it's thanks to the great performances that this film works so well. Director Giuliano Montaldo keeps things ticking over nicely and the build up to the heist is always interesting. Naturally given the film's influences; the heist itself is a timed and careful (also wordless of course) affair that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. The Rio de Janeiro setting provides some lovely locations and the film does look very nice on the whole. With the focus being on the plot, you can expect some twists in the tale and Grand Slam certainly does no disappoint in that respect as the film features a great twisted ending that fits what went before it very well indeed. Overall, Grand Slam is an excellent heist flick that more than does the classic French film that influenced it justice. Recommended!

This is intriguing and has enough coherence where things make sense. The tone is not light but has a gritty vibe. Also the finale is startling how the heist is finalized and def. a payoff that has to be checked out. Of course since it's Rio it's obligatory for a Street carnival to occur. The chemistry between the cast whittles down to K.Kinski and the guy who plays the Playboy expert R.Hoffmann as they row w each other cause of his Playboy skill yikes it is like do not they know they are there because of their expertise? But the finale works it all out and peeps get their due. A.Celi is also here. The heist itself is technical and long but whatever.

This is a truly great caper in the RIFIFI tradition, with plenty of twists and surprises, spectacularly high-tech (for its day) action set pieces and glamorous location work in Rio de Janeiro, Rome and around the world. Many other capers since THE GRAND SLAM have borrowed shamelessly from it -- ENTRAPMENT being the latest that springs to mind -- but, trust me, this one did it better than the rest all the way to its uncompromising, un-Hollywood ending. This is the one to catch if it's ever around again!

This Italian heist movie was released in English with about 90% of the cast dubbed though it was clearly sold on the casting of Edward G. Robinson as the elderly professor who plans the heist and Janet Leigh as the girl who just happens to get her name at the head of the cast. As heist movies go, "Grand Slam" is hardly memorable but, despite the not totally convincing dubbing, is still a lot of fun with director Giuliano Montaldo making excellent use of his locations while, even in such a small part, it's always a pleasure watching Robinson steal a movie from under the noses of his co-stars.

The largely international cast also includes Klaus Kinski, again fun to watch in any language, Robert Hoffman and Adolfo Celi and the plot has to do with a diamond robbery worth over ten million dollars but, of course, no matter how well thought out nothing seems to go quite according to plan and naturally, as a homage to "Rififi", the robbery has to be performed in complete silence. This is certainly not in the same class as Dassin's masterpiece but it's a very serviceable guilty pleasure nevertheless.

This film belongs to the top ten that the sixties decade provided us, a gritty heist movie without comedy. Admit that the Italian co productions of those years were mostly semi comedy topics, maybe not hilarious, but light hearted. Once again, we have Edward G Robinson involved in a major heist, remember him in THE SEVEN THIEVES, directed by Hank Hathaway, back in 1959. No realism here, only myth and excitement, a great film de genre, on the same scale as SEVEN GOLDEN MEN, but maybe more serious though. Casting over the top for this kind of feature. And what I like the most in this picture is that there is no ONLY, UNIQUE lead character, but a bunch of lead ones, and not played by super stars, not widely known actors. The most known : Adolfo Celli and Eddy Robinson have only supporting roles, and at the lowest level. The influence of RIFIFI, TOPKAPI, CAPER OF THE GOLDEN BULLS is so obvious, for the heist itself, with no talk, and also the technological part of the preparation, with the alarm system and the safe. Rather dark story for this kind of topic. No light hearted for sure.

I would be difficult for me to say enough good things about this movie. The Itallians came make a movie like no one else. This is a very stylistic heist movie. It co-stars the b movie hero, Klaus Kinski. The score was done by Ennio Morricone. What more could you ask for? This is truly outstanding example of the Itallian crime sub-genre. All the elements that make a movie of this type entertaining are present in spades: over the top schemes, gadgets, one-liners, and car chases. I have heard many of Enni Morricone's scores, but the opening piece is one of his best. Over the past few years, Blue Underground re-released some great, obscure movies. Watch this.

All fans of uninspired and pretentious nowadays heist movies, like "Now you see me" or "Ocean's Eight", should also have the decency to seek out the older classics of the genre, because they are a dozen times more inventive, original and exhilarating. Yes, I do realize this statement makes me sound like an old and nagging sourpuss. Anyways, I'm referring to classics like "Charley Varrick" or the original "The Italian Job" (1968), but even more to the flamboyant Euro-Exploitation efforts, like "Kriminal", "Danger: Diabolik" or "Grand Slam". This downright awesome, near-perfect thriller owes a lot to the French landmark "Rififi", but stands on itself as one of the coolest crime-capers ever made!

The great Edward G. Robinson, film-noir legend of the 30s and 40s, stars as a recently retired schoolteacher who worked in Rio de Janeiro his entire career. For more than 30 years, he stared at a diamond company across the street, and had the time to meticulously plan the most daring heist of the century. He needs to recruit specialists in particular areas, however, and ask the help of his old pal Mark Milford (Adolfo Celi) who has the - hand down - most genius database of criminals, arranged by there area of expertise! Four men, including the almighty Klaus Kinski, are hired to pull off the heist, but many complications arise, like a difficult-to-seduce secretary who holds the office keys, a brand new & hi-tech alarm system, carnival parades in the Rio city center and distrust among themselves.

"Grand Slam" probably borrowed several ideas and crucial key-elements from other titles; - Italian films usually do that. But I also know for a fact that even more films, like "Entrapment" or the "Ocean's 11" remake, took nifty little e elements from this gem. The preparation for the heist is absorbing and intelligent, whereas the actual heist is nail-bitingly tense. The four master-criminals are amazing! It's too bad you know from beforehand this type of film never ends well for them, because you honestly will root for them. The ultimate twist is a bit tacky, admittedly, but back then movies just had to end with a harsh "crime doesn't pay" message. Final word of praise goes out for the fantastic soundtrack, courtesy of - who else - Ennio Morricone. Great music, for a great film!

I think this is the best heist film ever made, surpassing its supposed inspiration, "Rififi". Fast pace, suspenseful and brilliantly photographed, it is a must see for all caper film buffs. The problem seems that no one seems to know WHO owns the rights to Telecast this film. It would be great on DVD too.

Been spreading the word around the neighborhood about this forgotten cultural curiosity like a virus! The amount of clichés and stereotypes in this piece make the entire thing hilarious and a good deal of fun to watch. Rio becomes this absolutely exotic venue, with non-stop carnivals and pageants, strange folk a galore and people who go by the name of "Stetuaka" (?!?!) - believe me, I have been born, raised and lived a good part of my life in Rio and have never, ever known anyone by the name of Stetuaka (played simply by one "Jussara" - may the Almighty bless her whoever she is!). But, and this is the main point of interest and solely for this I give it a ten, there are some exceptional external takes that give us a very good glimpse of Rio de Janeiro when it was still a breathtaking city and an incredible place to live (and not the violent, crime-infested & decadent urban disaster it is today) - excellent shots from the pre-expansion Copacabana Beach, Downtown, the Pavãozinho Slum and, most amazingly, a still pristine Barra da Tijuca, a very far cry from the horrendous scenario it has now become. For those of us, who live here or know Rio, a very nostalgic piece, not to be missed. Oh, yes, almost forgot...there's also some sort of a loosely built plot, about a heist around a handful of diamonds, but that's really secondary, of nil interest.

A professor (Edward G. Robinson) has been teaching American history in Rio for 30 years. He retires and returns to the States, where he goes to see an old friend in crime. He wants to rob the diamond repository across the street from his school in Rio. For that, he'll need to send four criminal experts to do the dirty work. It's a complicated plan, but things get much more complicated when they discover that the safe is now protected by a new multi-microphone system called Grand Slam 70, which sets off an alarm if it detects any noise above 14 decibels. Plus, there's the matter of getting a special key from the repository's special secretary (the special Janet Leigh), and that's going nowhere fast. Looks like the deal is off...

No, of course it's not. ;) This was fun movie, a grand caper featuring the beautiful backdrop of Rio during Carnival (with some scenes taking place in Rome, London and New York as well), with some good Mission: Impossible-style ingenuity and obstacles, and even some infighting, providing decent tension. I liked it a lot, from beginning to end. Only a couple of downsides, in that Robinson was barely in it (and I'm not big on the apparently always miserable Klaus Kinski, though I admit he is good at what he does), plus the setup, essentially the first 1/4 of the movie, felt a little longer than necessary. The whole movie could've easily worked in 90 minutes or less. Other than that, though, it's a really good'un!

P.S. That categorized master criminal list was pretty impressive. Wonder how many crimelords really had something like that, let alone that many connections.

Janet Leigh, Edward G. Robinson, and Adolpho Celi, known to American audiences as a Bond villain, star in this fascinating heist film. Robinson is the mastermind after he's been fired and he goes to a long-standing friend for the right key-men needed for the job: an expert safe-cracker, a demolitions man for the right TNT needed, etc. Despite its slow, meticulous pace, it manages to keep the viewers interest. But what really blows the viewers' mind, isn't so much what inevitably becomes to each of the gang, but the very last minute's twist ending. It's a shocker and leaves you all up in knots. You're sitting there, wondering if they were followed or was this some spontaneous action. If you love heist films, then find this one first. Then all others will suffer in comparison.

An elderly, recently retired schoolteacher (Edward G. Robinson) has a plan to steal $10 million worth of diamonds out of a vault in Rio de Janeiro. He goes to a criminal mastermind (Adolfo Celi) who puts together a team of specialists (Klaus Kinski, Riccardo Cucciolla, Jorge Rigaud, Robert Hoffmann) to pull off the job; as part of the job, playboy Hoffmann must seduce a frosty secretary (Janet Leigh) who possesses a key crucial to their plans.

Although mostly predictable in terms of twists, the ending is still quite delicious, and the director, Giuliano Montaldo, is able to generate an effective amount of tension once the actual heist is under way. He & his screenwriters don't really set out to "reinvent the wheel" in terms of plot, but the film is still VERY WELL put together, and it milks a ton of atmosphere from its exotic setting, which adds a degree of freshness. The international cast is splendid, even if Celi and Robinson have little more than "special guest star" roles. Kinski, as usual, is quite amusing, especially in scenes where we can see how he & Hoffmann do NOT get along.

All in all, this shows lovers of the heist movie formula quite a good time, and it's boosted even further by another great Ennio Morricone soundtrack. One of my favorite bits: the fact that Celi has a huge assortment of files on experts in just about EVERY field.

Eight out of 10.

I rented the movie based on several recommendations that it was a superb (perhaps the best) heist movie, including Roger Ebert's remarks in his review of The Score. I found the movie pace lagged a lot in the middle, and I found the events after the in-bank theft scene unpleasant (the movie as a whole was darker than I had expected). The main theft scene was well-done, and the technical wizardry of the thieves quite impressive (particularly given the 1967 production date). I liked a few of the characters, the heist scene, and that was about it. Several of the characters were eminently dislikable, the Rio culture scenes were irritating, and the movie lacked two things vital to a heist caper: a very tight plot, and a likable cast of characters who make you root for them to succeed. Without giving too much away, there was one plot element in the last third of the movie that I found too deus-ex-machina for my liking. Rent *Sneakers* instead, or read any of Donald Westlake's superb Dortmunder heist novels, for the good stuff.