I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Fantastic!

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Henri Verneuil and actor Jean Paul Belmondo made seven movies together during their careers, and their best effort was "The Burglars." This crime thriller set in Athens pits a jewel thief Azad (Jean Paul Belmondo of "The Night Caller") against a corrupt, sleazy Athens cop, Abel Zacharia (Omar Sharif of "Dr. Zhivago"), who threatens to expose them if they don't share in the loot. Verneuil's adaptation of David Goodis' novel that he co-scripted with Vahé Katcha of "Two Hours to Kill" is far more exciting remake than original Paul Wenkos' film. The chief difference here is that Zacharia is a high-ranking policeman instead of a uniformed, squad car cop. Furthermore, the ending is superior, too, with the anti-heroic Belmondo escaping from the nasty cop. Sharif's death scene is rather unusual. The big chase around scenic Athens with Sharif in pursuit of Belmondo is genuinely exciting. Like Dan Duryea in the original "Burglar," Belmondo stumbles across a looker in a bar, Dyan Cannon, but with better results. She has an apartment where you have to clap your hands to activate the electric lights. Claude Renoir's photography is breathtaking, and Ennio Morricone provided an orchestral score that is unforgettable as are the opening credits. "The Burglars" proves that not all remakes are inferior.

This excellent thriller has a terrific international cast. The plot is pretty original. SPOILER FOLLOWSThere is practically no dialog at all for the first several minutes of the film as the thieves use an amazing technology to access the safe. I found it quite riveting however the most amazing thing is the lengthy chase scene about one third into the movie. As the small cars are flying and careening around the hilly streets I was astonished to see dozens of gawkers watching the chase. In several scenes they had to leap out of the way. It was pretty amazing and not to be missed.

Henri Verneuil's fast paced thriller stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a burglar whose seemingly perfect emerald heist is tripped up by crooked cop Omar Sharif. Belmondo and crew are taunted, shot at, and endlessly pursued by the maniacal Sharif. Set in Greece, Verneuil infuses the film with a lot of energy and a number of classic touches: Sharif searching an amusement on horseback; Belmondo's toy factory hide-out; a very odd climax in a grain silo. Sharif & Belmondo have a lot of chemistry in several confrontations and the whole enterprise is enhanced by the presence of Dyan Cannon (as a stripper with a heart of anything BUT gold). Nicole Calfan is very good as a lovelorn teenager smitten with Belmondo and the supporting cast includes Robert Hossein. Great cinematography by Claude Renoir & a dynamite music score by Ennio Morricone. A excellent companion piece to Verneuil's THE SICILIAN CLAN.

The burglars is a classic movie, especially the car chase. There are few movies with car chases this good. Acting is average.