DISORGANISED CRIME

US, 1989, 87 minutes, Colour.
Hoyt Axton, Corbin Bernsen, Ruben Blades, Ed O' Neill, Fred Gwynne, Lou Diamond Philips.
Directed by Jim Kouf.

Disorganised Crime is yet another caper which goes wrong - echoes of the 1957 Italian film E Soliti Ignoti (Americanised by Louis Malle in 1984 as Crackers). This one boasts excellent Montana landscapes. It has an enjoyable cast.

However, there is nothing much different from many of the other caper films. Written and directed by Jim Kouf (who wrote the much better police thriller, Stakeout).

1. Enjoyable caper comedy? Robbery, characters, police?

2. The use of Montana locations, the towns, the landscapes? Musical score?

3. The plausibility of the plot: farce, comic situations, characters?

4. Frank and his checking out the bank, sending the letters, arrest, jail, the ride, escaping from the toilet, through the wilderness, the canoe, rough in the wild, arrival at the house, arrest again? Being blamed for everything he didn't do?

5. The group arriving at the station, Ray taking them to the house, tensions, the boys shooting the bottles, Nick taking the car, Carlos chasing him, the plan?

6. Max and his age, experience, heart trouble, his turn, at the bank, success? Nick and his taking of the car, clashes with everyone, being pursued, bailed out, opening the safe, anti the bail at the end? Carlos and his walking after the car, the long walk, checking out the bank, Wanda and his use of her house later, his style? Ray, the young man, the explosions in the car, his shrewdness?

7. The stealing of the cars, the ride in the truck with the manure, the paint on the car, the robberies for the bail money, spiking the cars, the caper itself and the escape?

8. The police, the arrest of Frank, the escape, on each side of the river, losing the clothes, their car stolen, arriving in overalls, made fools of on the television, the reaction of the local police, discovering the painted car, at the bank, the car chase? Their blaming Frank for everything, the irony of their arresting him at the end?

9. The sheriff and the locals?,

10. Characters in a light-hearted caper, American style?