SPECIAL DELIVERY

US, 1976, 99 minutes, Colour.
Cybil Shepherd, Bo Svenson, Michael C. Gwynne, Vic Tayback.
Directed by Paul Wendkos.

Special Delivery is a better robbery film than usual, opening with an effective robbery sequence, unexpectedly foiled and creating tension for the Vietnam veteran leader, who spends a day trying to recover his money. Sub-plots involve a drug pusher who shares his eagerness to recover the money, and a divorcee who falls in love with him. What results is an entertaining blend of suspense and romantic comedy. Bo Svenson is the robber-hero and Cybil Shepherd a very attractive heroine. There is also some social comment on American conditions through the motivations of the hero and his colleagues and their war injuries, but the crime and the comedy are the main thing.

1. How enjoyable a crime film? Comedy? The quality of the presentation?

2. The Los Angeles opening, the authenticity of the atmosphere of Los Angeles in the bank, the streets and the apartments? The sense of place and the film as finally being confined to a particular street corner the time compacted into one day? The humanity injected into the film via the characterisation and the comedy? The irony of values?

3. How good an example of the robbery genre was the film? The skill in presenting the techniques of the robbery, its visualising, the escape? The importance of visuals for the atmosphere, e.g. the focussing on the mail box?

4. The tension with the escape, the detailed planning,. things beginning to go wrong with Mickie and his eye, the consequences of death, capture, the predicament for Jack Murdoch?

5. How appropriate were the indications of the Vietnamese background? As momentary flashbacks in Jack Murdoch's mind at a crisis point during the robbery? The indications of fraternity with his fellow robbers? How satisfactory were the later explanations in terms of comradeship, involvement in the war, injuries, the debt of America to these soldiers? Jack Murdoch's discounting this, and saying that he robbed for the money? The fact that he didn't want to rob any other banks? The implications of this social comment about the war, America's involvement and its debt to individual soldiers? The irony of the soldiers using their military expertise against the country in such robberies?

6. The build-up and focus on Jack Murdoch: the fact that he escaped, the sense of his running and the physical sense of the need to escape his feelings as regards the death and capture of the others, his desperation in putting the money in the special delivery box, the suspense in his return?

7. The contrast with the character of Graff: his look and his greed, his continually eyeing and circling the box. the fact that he would stoop to murder of the mailman for the key (the pathos of this death with the words of advice from the mailman), his involvement in the drug world, his subservience to the bosses, his desperation in trying to pick the lock, the fact that he acted suspiciously which led to his torture and death? The points made about this kind of evil man, the wages of sin?

8. The contrast with Mary Jane as she watched Murdoch's putting the money in the special box? The humour of her giving the little girl to pick him up? Her friendliness. the feeling that she "came on strong", her attitude towards the money. towards him?

9. How credible a character was Mary Jane: her glamour, her humour and wisecracking. her art work? The background of her marriage and the importance of the sequence where she met her ex-husband and discussed their marriage, and her attempted self-discovery? The humour of Otto, the dog, and his presence in the film and at crises? The reaction to the bikies and her despising of them, her walking past them and their attempting to rape her? Her feelings for Jack, their making love, her decision to help him? Why did she want to be involved? Interest and boredom, human feeling: The comedy angles in this relationship?

10. How well did the film develop the character of Jack Murdoch: initial reaction to him as the mastermind of the robbery, sympathising with him in his escape and wanting to evade detection, his desperation in waiting to get the money from the special box? Its humorous character in many ways, the pathos of the sequence where he went to see Mickie's wife and give her the money, her humane feelings? His fighting the bikies, as the defender of Mary Jane? The achievement in getting the nail box, the escape by truck, the escape from the pursuing criminals? What did he achieve?

11. The minor characters, especially the thugs on the streets, the comment on Los Angeles streets, the importance of the fight sequence and its parallel to the sex film? The atmosphere of the bikies and that particular part of the street? With the cafes, the shops, the adult movie house? The character of the police?

12. The build-up to the chase, the ingenuity of Jack and Mary Jane? The puzzle of the pursuers?

13. The build-up to the happy ending, the final irony with the bank manager on the ship? To what purpose was this film made in terms of entertainment, comment on America and its social implications?