Thanks for the memories!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Incarcerated thief--with a colorful rap-sheet of offenses--is tipped off by a former crony about a little bank near Los Angeles just waiting to be robbed; he breaks out of prison and surveys the bank in question, deciding it would be better to make off with the entire mobile building rather than just the safe. Scrappy adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel (a follow-up to his similarly-themed "The Hot Rock", itself filmed in 1972), this half-assed comedy-caper is poorly photographed and directed, but does benefit from energetic supporting players and some mild laughs in the opening. It falls apart after an hour or so, with George C. Scott (sporting exaggerated eyebrows and a peculiar, Ed Wynn-like speaking voice) badly miscast in the lead. *1/2 from ****

Crusty criminal mastermind Walter Upjohn Ballantine (a marvelously grouchy performance by George C. Scott) breaks out of prison and devises a wild plan to rob a bank by stealing the whole building (!). The big gig goes off without a hitch, but the aftermath of said gig goes disastrously awry. Meanwhile, gruff, hard-nosed Warden Streiger (a deliciously broad portrayal by veteran character actor Clifton James) tries to nab Ballantine before he gets away. Director Gower Champion, working from a tight and witty script by Wendell Mayes, relates the engagingly wacky story at a constant zippy pace and maintains a properly zany tone throughout. The tip-top cast have a ball with their colorful roles: Scott keeps his dignity and a straight face amongst the loopy other characters, James chews up the scenery with lip-smacking gusto, ravishing redhead knockout Joanna Cassidy adds considerable sex appeal with her delightfully spunky turn as flaky'n'lusty financial backer Eleonora, plus there are nifty contributions by Sorrell Booke as Ballantine's bumbling partner Al G. Karp, Bob Balaban as Karp's eager beaver nephew Victor, Bibi Osterwald as the dotty Mums Gornik, Don Calfa as antsy driver Stosh Gornik, and Frank McRae as hot-tempered safecracker Herman X. Harry Stradling, Jr's crisp cinematography, John Morris' suitably quirky and lively score, a nice unexpected ending, and the overall infectiously goofy comic sensibility all further enhance the prevalent blithely silly charm of this immensely funny hoot.

Donald Westlake's Dortmunder are a terrific series of caper books about a career crook with bad luck. "Bank Shot" may very well be the best of the bunch, well the funniest anyway. But the movie fails on many levels.First off there's the casting, George C. Scott wasn't a horrible choice, if he had a good script he would have worked fine, Sorrell Booke wasn't the best choice, though i love to see him in something other than "The Dukes of Hazzard," Don Calfa is okay as the driver from the books, but Frank McRae was great as Hermman X.If you want to see a pretty good Dortmunder movie, watch "The Hot Rock" with Robert Redford or "Why Me?" with Christopher Lambert. Watch out of curiosity, at least its closer to the books than "What's the Worst that Could Happen?"

8 out of 10 Completely wacky story involving seven nutty people who decide to rob a bank that is inside a mobile home. They do so by stealing the entire building only to find that trying to open the safe is even tougher. This is the type of comedy that works because although it is built around one gimmick it doesn't just stay dependent on it. Everything is offbeat here. It really is just one laugh after another and it comes at a extremely fast pace. Nearly every scene is diverting and some of it even memorable. It shows a good handle on the absurd with just the right balance of the irreverent particularly with the police and other authority figures. Scott's escape from his prison camp is good example of all these ingredients. He uses a stolen bulldozer to crash through the gate while the police chief tries to 'chase him down' while driving nothing more than a flimsy little golf cart. It all makes for one of the most unique chase sequences you will ever see. Of course the actual heist of the bank building is still the best. The innumerable and frustrating attempts at trying to open a most difficult safe comes in at a close second. There are also a lot of other fun ironic twists. Scott is not necessarily the best person for the part of the cunning and audacious criminal mastermind. He looks very old, grouchy, and tired here. He has your grandfathers big bushy eyebrows and talks with a very strange lisp. Yet he is also at his crumudgeon best and the film makes the most of it. Cassidy with her infectious laugh and very sunny disposition makes for a terrific counterpart. James though probably stands out the most in a over the top caricature of the hard nosed police sergeant. It's the best role of his career and a part he looks to have been born to play. If the film has any faults it is the fact that it tends to be too one dimensionally silly and at points seems almost cartoonish. A little more tension here and there wouldn't have hurt. It also goes by way too fast and the ending isn't very satisfying. Still this is a solid comedy that should appeal to anyone with a good sense of humor. It is also fun for the whole family.