Hehe...well, I liked BOYFRESH's thread in movies about being invited to his gangsta nation, so I'm going to blatantly imitate his thread title and open up this lovely piece on Foreign heist crimes. I do not know many mafia stories, with the exception of the comedy Johnny Stecchino, and feel that it is an American Genre. But what there is a wealth of in foreign flicks is heist crimes.

Anyone that's been to europe knowns how high the petty theft rate is there, so leave it to the Italians to produce the '58 classic, Big Deal on Madonna Street (I Soliti ignoti). The original heist blunder, and also the movie that kicked of Marcello Mastroianni's film career!



Yeah, this is the original heist comedy, or at least, the earliest I know of. I have to admit after seeing so many before and after, I am not all that big a fan of this genre. Its the same category (though different tone, situation, etc) as Snatch, or Small Time Crooks. How many things can go wrong? Seriously. But, if I remove myself enough from the repetitive feel of all comedy heists I have seen, than I'd have to say that if you do like them, this is one of the best. This film is of course a parody of the movie I will cover next week, "Rififi" which is the heist of all mishap but taken seriously. Of the two, I still prefer the lightness of Madonna Street. The situations do lead to instant bursts of humor for sure. I don't know how much of it is because of how I thought and related to the Romans, but the feel of these middle-aged blumbering men sans ramanticization definately has its perks.

Because of my hesitation with this genre, I have to give it two grades, one for myself B- and one for fans, A-.

Next week, the film that really started it all with the creative use of an umbrella to rob a bank safe, "Rififi."

As promised to myself, I'm going to talk about the 1955 "classic" Rififi.

I need to pre-empt my discussion by informing everyone, I really didn't like this movie, which is too bad because I love a good crime movie.



This movie is the difference between a room with a view, and a room on the 9 floor overlooking the city. Its hard to explain it any other way, but there is a difference, its just untangible.

On paper, everything about this movie seemed great. Its dark, brooding, unlikeable and severe middle aged men breaking into a bank. Then, slowly, getting discovered and trying to evaid their inevitable capture. Its black-and-white, and had a noir feel (welcome tot he 50's) including a glamorous song number by a random woman in a lounge.

The woman sings a song about getting into trouble, and while she doesn't say "Rififi" she sure does say something like 'Rititiki" and, well, you get the point.

The theft is the highlight of the movie, and Jules Dassin did find one of the most creative ways involving an everyday ibject to breakthrough a metal safe. The criminals are on the clock, and the tension builds nicely. Its a bit too early on in the movie for me to assume they might not make it in time, but it is well enough along the way to ensure that we're worried "something will go wrong." I won't say more on the topic.

There characters, for all their frumpy silence and intensisity, are pretty superficial guys, especially the Italian that inadvertently clues in the police due to *big surprise* a woman. But I never build any sympathy for any of them. This is, of course, the point. But if the director intends for us to have marginal sympathy for the heros, than he has to come up with some other alternative (style, trickery, timing, etc) method for keeping interest in the outcome of events. Ultimately, I don't think he did.

This is the movie that supposedly kicked of all the high theft and noir films. Perhaps it is the first to spell doom for its theives, I don't know of earlier ones, but in ofitself, it just wasn't that great. I found myself looking at how much time was remaining already half way through.
C+

Up next I'm going to do the only movie I think I've seen that is actually about Mafia, or, more acurately a mafia head's mistress. It's Shanghai Triad! Perhaps my favorite Yimou movie ever (or at least tied with To Live). Excellent, excellent movie with one of the greatest most underrated actresses ever, Gong Li. I am putting together an official review for it, and will try to post it tomorrow.

Anyone seen this movie?

Oh dio mio. I haven't yet finished up my official on Triad, which I'm going to do when I finish this paper, so I thought I'd throw out a movie that is almost synonimous with dissappearing bodies:

Delicatessen!



Sadly, I have somehow not seen this movie. I know, I know, the shock of it all. But I am hoping that someone who has will provide a little tantalizing tidbit for about the body snatchers from the butcher shop? So, I'd love to hear what someone thinks of this one. Is it overrated and just well loved because of the concept, or is it truly worthy of having tha fanbase that it does?

Lol, I've seen it. It was on television a week ago and I had nothing to do so I watched it. I liked it, it's OK, nothing really special though. I've seen films with the same theme (i.e. butchers that slaughter humans and then sell their flesh) that I've liked better. One of those films is a Danish film called "De grønne slagtere" or "The Green Slaughterers".

It's here on IMDB: http://imdb.com/title/tt0342492/

In Southern Europe petty theft rate is pretty high but here in Northern Europe it is pretty much non existant. Probably has something to do with the overall quality of life being higher here than there.

Delicatessen is one of Jeunet's weaker films in my view.

Andaroo, didn't he do City of Lost Children too? I saw the first half hour of it, but lost patience and am too freaked out by bugs.

Anyways...here' is one of my absolute favorites which I promised to review, Shanghai Triad. I just submitted a full official review, so I will post the link here as well when it comes up on the main site. I love this movie so much. I fluctuate in between thinking this or the movie he did right before it, To Live, is his best work. But I'm leaning towards Triad now, because the characters and the narrative voice of the movie are much more complex.



Zhang Yimou’s most complex narrative and subtle character development, Shanghai Triad is the unsettling coming-of-age story of a young boy, Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao), who is forced to attend to a drug lord’s demanding mistress. The film's main focus is Shuisheng's evolving relationship with Mistress Xiao Jinghao, played by Gong Li in one of her finest moments. Shuisheng arrives in Shanghai under the hand of his uncle who turns him over to Boss Tang, the leader of a massive undercover drug operation in the 1930’s, and he quickly learns that Jinghao is a vicious, manipulative woman.

Fat Yu, a rival lord instigates a drug war and forces Tang and his associates to flee and isolate themselves on a rural island. Clearly not in control of her own fate, Jinghao is forced to submit to the self-induced isolation as well, and manages her boredom by obsessing and trying to exert authority over a poor local woman. Her machinations have harsh repercussions in the face of Tang paranoia that someone within his own inner circle is feeding information to Yu. Occupied with his own desire to induce respect for himself and his former drug operations, he proceeds to tighten his grip on his remaining associates and liaisons. Stuck on the island with no outside knowledge of their existence, Jinghao and Shuisheng embrace their newly discovered mutual support and defend each other against Tang's violence.

A

Yeah. A lot of people are in awe about Jeunet's "origionality" when it comes to Delicatessen and City of Lost Children but to me his earlier work strongly stinks of Cronenberg and most especially Gilliam. And then, that part of his work really isn't his, it is more the work of his visual/designer partner Marc Caro.

Up next I'm going to do Man Bites Dog. Anyone seen it? Its a bit of a mockumentary about violence, but it isn't, because its not comic at all. There's a very disconcerting feeling that the filmers aren't bothered by what they are catching on tape. Andaroo, have you seen it too? Its another French film, so I guess they excel in this more than other countries I know.

But I wanted to take the opportunity to let anyone speak about some crime movies they find interesting as well. Honestly I haven't watched that much either out of the U.S. or any other country, so I wouldn't call this thread my forte. Anyone want to give some better insight into a film before I start up Man, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

It's not French. It's Belgian. And it's bloody disgusting, ridiculously brutal.

Oops, you are right. I got it confused with 400 Blows (even though they aren't the same thing what-so-ever, so don't ask me why I did that).

Uh-huh. Shad, do you want to do a write up on it or would you prefer if I did. I wouldn't mind someone taking over the reigns for a movie or two. In fact, I'd love it. I can't tell if this movie was cerebral in its discipline for violence or if it just was thoughtless. I'm leaning towards the latter, but not sure yet. What did you think?

Man Bites Dog



This 1992 Belgian film hurts. Yes, that's a pacifier you see being blown out of a baby's mouth on the cover. I didn't like watching it, but that was the point. Its done in a "concious" style. A mockumentary sort of, where the viewer is aware that there are people behind the camera as well as infront. The only problem is those people don't seem to intervene as they film the crime spree from hell.

The way in which they do this is by having Ben (Benoît Poelvoorde) converse with the camera crew. All the time. He chit chats in a way that makes Pulp Fiction seem silly. He talks about philosophy, daily activities, everything. Very matter of factly as he goes about his murdering and robbing. The constant sadie, which is used often in movies when an actor suddenly turns to the screen and starts talking, isn't the same. That's meant for the viewer. Here, Ben is clearly talking to the cameramen...and they just passively continue to film (in a way). Honestly, I barely sat through it...I was very squeemish. But it hits the point across adeptly at the desensitization of violence in media and even in reality. This is done by the double viewer. Both the viewer (media) and the cameramen (reality) can just...watch.

Seriously disturbing to the point of being a bit of a turn off. There isn't much of a storyline to follow either, so boredom would ensue had you not felt like you wanted to take a shower the entire span of the movie.

I have to say the viewing experience is very visceral, but as far as the brain, you're better off just reading a critical essay on it. You'll probably get as much.

B

Be prepared....from those kookie Italians that are so apedt at the humorous crime, I will next be covering the movie that made Roberto Begnini big in Italy...and got enough of an audiance in the U.S. after it was imported following his famous turn in Life is Beautiful. Johnny Stecchino

WooHoo, the Italians can't do anything right, lol. Which is why their crime capers are usually about misfits and botched attempts. 1991's Johnny Stecchino Is no different, but it sure is cute. Roberto Begnini is best know in the U.S. for his work in Life is Beautiful, but that was really a rare work for him, since he tends to stick to slap-stick comedies. His second movie that can be seen in the states is Il Mostro. Mostro wasn't nearly as good, and while cute, felt uncreative and more vulgar than Stecchino.



A screw up of a sap, Dante, looks an awful lot like a Sicilian crime lord, so Maria (Niccoletta Brashi, his real life wife who star opposite him in all his movies) picks up the Dante and flirts with him. Johnny Stecchino is actually the name of the crime boss, who is stuck hiding out in his villa because another mafioso head has it out for him. Stecchino and his wife dress up and bring the unfortunate look-alike to Sicily in order to have Dante assassinated in place of the boss. The only problem is Maria is having a bit of marital trouble with the calous and unsympathetic Johnny, and Johnny is getting awfully sick of hiding the basement so that Dante doesn't figure out what's going on. Dante also has a knack for absent-mindedly avoiding death-through-shoot out as he walks about Napoli looking an awful lot like Johnny. Really he's hard not to like, even if its just out of the cute Begnini habits that make Roberto, well, Roberto. Comepletely over-the-top slap stick, but little of it is toilet humor which is what I find the biggest turn-off. The plot and confusion are enough to sustain the movie but the real show-stealer is Braschi as Maria. Look for the perfect little gas-station ending, when its quite clear who the real boss is.

B/B+ and if you're into slap-stick you'll watch it more than once. If you're not, you'll still find it pleasantly fun.

Bob le Flambeur



some of you may have seen the remake about two years back with Nick Nolte called The Good Thief. I haven't, so can't say if its any good. But the 1955 original is quite fun, and involves a card conman who tries to cheat a casino. For anyone who is interested in card/gaming movies such as Rounders check out this movie about an obsessed gambler who upon getting released from jail, decides he can no longer be a criminal...just a card player.

He loses too much money and falls into planning a casino heist. He amasses a group of experts and plans the entire event, only to have his plans exposed to the casino and police long before the job is even begun. Bob decides to go ahead with it anyways, even though he is well aware he is expected. Meanwhile Bob's youthfull understudy becomes so anamored with Bob's life (in a Talented Mr. Ripley type way) that Bob is actually dispossed of his own character.

Still light to tone in the end, the two narratives of the defeated old man and the complicated casino robbery resolve themselves. In quite a humorous twist that I don't want to give away either.

A-