Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Gwynne team up with a gang of professional criminals who have everything it takes to rob a bank. The only things they do have going for them are a cop and his partner, who are dumber than they are! By the time the gang hits the bank vault, it's a safe bet there's going to be organized insanity and disorganized crime!
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This is a truly clever film, rich in both physical comedy and great dialog. The plot is very well done, and every actor brings something great to the story. I especially liked Reuben Blades, and the ongoing "bad sign" comments throughout the movie, his character is just incredible.A lot of movies really do not work well as comedy because the premise is just cruel or stupid, every moment in this film is truly witty, and I think you are going to find it very hard not to laugh out loud at a few scenes. There are so many opportunities to work the characters together in different combinations, there's always a good moment to be had. I really do not understand the relatively low rating of this film, it certainly deserves better, and you are going to enjoy it if you can find this older film somewhere to watch. it is certainly not easy to find now.
The efforts of a talented ensemble make all the difference in this movie from screenwriter / director Jim Kouf (who'd written the 1987 hit "Stakeout", among other things). It brings together a motley collection of big city criminals for a bank job in a small Montana town. This job is the brainchild of career crook Frank Salazar (Corbin Bernsen) who is arrested almost right away by a pair of New Jersey detectives, George Denver (Ed O'Neill) and Bill Lonigan (Daniel Roebuck). So Franks' team is left to figure things out and pull off the job on their own - if they can manage not to kill each other, as the sparks fly between them. The team consists of Max Green (Fred Gwynne), Carlos Barrios (Ruben Blades), Ray Forgy (Lou Diamond Phillips), and Nick Bartkowski (William Russ), Nick turning out to be an enormous pain in the ass for the other three. Frank manages to escape from George and Bill, who both turn out to be pretty stupid, and goes on a lengthy trek to get back to the hideout, while Max, Carlos, and Ray have their work cut out for them trying to repair the damage that Nick does. The major appeal of the movie lies, as previously said, in seeing these actors at work, and they make for an agreeable bunch of unlikely comrades. Gwynne is especially effective as the old pro among the thieves, and O'Neill deserves some sort of good sport prize for doing as many scenes as he does while not wearing pants. However, Hoyt Axton is rather wasted as the local sheriff. As the story plays out, one can hardly keep from feeling somewhat bad for Frank, who truly gets a raw deal. Another benefit is seeing a variety of very urban types in a very rural setting. One can tell this was actually shot on real Montana locations, and the non-Hollywood setting is refreshing. David Newmans' score is flavourful, and the photography is first rate. The movie doesn't necessarily deliver lots of belly laughs, but should generate some appreciative smiles as it bases itself on placing various characters in untenable situations. There are some good lines here and there, and there's one great farcical sequence where George is trying to cross a river. The climactic scene of Max and Nick breaking into the bank vault is a fun one, and it's not hard to root for them at this point. Ending on a high note (if also a fairly childish one), "Disorganized Crime" holds up fairly well 23 years later and moves forward at a good clip. Eight out of 10.
I first saw this movie on cable about 5 years ago and I could not stop laughing. Everything about this movie seemed to click, the storyline, the characters, the setting. As far as film is concerned I wouldn't call this a great movie but for what it is supposed to be it is fantastic. It gets it's meaning across. The cast is maybe as good as any ever put together in a comedy movie. Corben Berbson, Fred Gwynne, Ruben Blades, and Ed O'Neil are hilarious. For this who haven't seen it, I will give you a brief synopsis: Four Criminals meet up in a small town in Montana after receiving a letter from their friend about a bank heist. However when their friend is arrested by two cops who chased him from New Jersey, they try to figure out whats going on and all hell breaks loose. The film is truly a great bank caper comedy and is sort of like a poor mans version of Oceans Eleven, only with four criminals who can't stand each other, and in Montana rather than Las Vegas. All in all if like to laugh I would strongly encourage you to see this movie.
I've seen this movie many times, and hope to see it many more. It's a great movie, and the laughs are non-stop. You've really got to feel sorry for Salazar (Corbin Bernsen). I give this movie 8 out of 10 (on a good day).