Also, it should be said that the stream quality is really not very good. First off, it's 4:3, instead of widescreen 16:9. This might sound nit-picky, but it looks odd in a movie, even before the HD days, I always preferred widescreen. Also, the sound quality is downright awful. It's loud in places and quiet in others, and it all sounds like it was recorded on a decades old cassette tape and then left in a hot car until now. So I apologize in advance if I miss any important story beats. It's very dialogue heavy and the dialogue isn't the easiest to understand, especially with Ralli's accent.
Plot: The movie starts out very strong with a rip off James Bond into. It's got a torch singer and stylized titles. However, instead of dancing ladies in neat colors, it's birds. Yep, birds. It should be noted that birds play no part in any other part of the movie.
When the movie actually starts, Henry Clarke (Michael Caine) is a recovering alcoholic with the creepiest german doctor ever. While in recovery, he buddies up with a guy, exchanges a few jokes, and we're not sure why just yet we're being shown this. While getting a massage, Clarke meets Ms. Fé Moreau. They go for a walk and talk about Clarke's past. Though they don't come right out and say it, they talk in code about his past as a thief, saying he takes "photos" instead of "cash and diamonds". Pretty sneaky. It becomes quickly apparent that Clarke and Fé are going to do it before the movie is through.
That is until we meet Fé's husband, Richard. Richard offers Clarke a scotch and he accepts (not taking the alcoholism recovery very seriously). Turns out Richard knows Clarke faked his alcoholism to get into recovery to get closer to that other man. And that other man has diamonds.
First though, Clark and the Moreaus plan another heist. And let me tell you, this one goes down as one of my favorite heists in movie history. it cuts between the theft and an orchestra with a solo guitarist. The score really shines in this portion. The music swells during particularly dramatic parts and the the more technical parts are score by the guitar. It's great and really fun to watch and listen to.
After this, the movie takes a hard turn into character drama. Richard is gay, and Clarke has fallen for Fé hard (if you know what I mean). Richard as it turns out, was also a Nazi and did some bad things during WWII, as Nazis were wont to do. Fé only married him out of pity, she felt he needed someone to forgive him. The entire second half of the movie drags terribly, to be honest.
It closes with another heist, this time thieving from the man that Clarke met while in recovery. It ends just about as badly as a heist can, with Michael Caine dying. Thankfully no real heist has ended with that yet. A true tragedy indeed.
Why Was It Forgotten? Frankly, the second half of the movie doesn't work at all. The first half, the heist section, doesn't build any connection to characters, they're merely the people perpetuating the really cool crime. A great heist is never about the people doing the stealing, but the actual theft itself. Michael Caine, still in the supercool phase of his career, plays the heist part perfectly. Unfortunately, the entire second half of the movie is character driven and the first half built exactly no connection to any character whatsoever.
It also doesn't help that this movie is a product of its time. It has the freer sexual notions of the 60's with Richard being openly gay, and his wife free to lay with other men. Also, the bathrobes, featured in several scenes, are short enough to seem gauche in modern society. It seems strange to say it, but even the fact arising that Richard was a Nazi seems to have lost a lot of its punch lately. In post WWII England, it was still quite the sore spot, but these days, society seems to have lost their interest in such things. Communists, terrorists, etc.
What Went Right? The first half of the movie is a blast. It sets itself apart from other heists with only the addition of an interesting soundtrack, but that soundtrack works incredibly well. It's a shame that the music turns far more typical in the second half of the movie, another thing that leads to it being far less interesting than the first half.
Michael Caine, as always, is a joy. One of his best qualities is that he always gives his best performance no matter what the material. His character was the same as in any movie of this sort. Smarmy, smooth, wise cracking, etc. but he brings extra to the scenes where he's desperate. Both of his heists run into trouble, and its there that he shines. Worry is a rare emotion in heist movie protagonists and Caine pulls it off well.
Verdict: Two hours long, one hour good.
Score: 50%
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