$ (1971)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writer:

Richard Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

17 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The BIG bank-heist is on!

Plot:

A bank security expert plots with a call girl to rob three safety deposit boxes containing $1.5 million in cash belonging to three very different criminals from a high-tech security bank in Hamburg, Germany.

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Safe Deposit | Caper | Hamburg Germany | Drugs

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Warren Beatty	...	Joe Collins
Goldie Hawn	...	Dawn Divine
Gert Fröbe	...	Mr. Kessel
Robert Webber	...	Attorney
Scott Brady	...	Sarge
Arthur Brauss	...	Candy Man
Robert Stiles	...	Major
Wolfgang Kieling	...	Granich
Bob Herron	...	Bodyguard (as Robert Herron)
Christiane Maybach	...	Helga
Hans Hutter	...	Karl
Monica Stender	...	Berta
Horst Hesslein	...	Bruno
Wolfgang Kuhlman	...	Furcoat
Klaus Schichan	...	Knifeman

Also Known As:

Dollars (USA) (alternative spelling)
The Heist (UK)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alter Elbtunnel, St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The title is pronounced "dollars".

Quotes:

Dawn Divine: He could have killed me too, you know?
Joe Collins: That's right.
Dawn Divine: I hate him!
Joe Collins: Damn waste of time!
Dawn Divine: I don't care! I could kill him!
Joe Collins: Hey, stealing's a business, not a crusade.

Soundtrack:

Money Is

Groovy heist flick...but what happened to the ending?

There is a long set-up to the chase in this film. Luckily it involves a daffy, wonderful Goldie Hawn as a hooker/accomplice to bank robber Warren Beatty. She's a breathing cliff-hanger, you never know what she's going to do next. And in the middle of the hysteria, there's a beautifully quiet moment where she tells Beatty about a screen-test she did for the movies ("First take, nothing. Second take, I dunno know...tears. Third take, I forgot my own name"). The chase takes up about 2 entire reels; it's a hoot, especially the scene on the ice, and I loved what appeared at first to be a twist ending. Someone dupes someone else, and then in turn gets duped. It would've been an awesome climax, but there's a weird tag at the very end of the picture (ostensibly to wrap it up with a bow) which is sort of a let-down. It seems to involve none of the participants--only their props!--which leads me to believe this was a post-production, last minute decision. Still, "Dollars" is very funny, very smart, filmed in a cool, dizzy style that's no longer fashionable but certainly memorable. ***1/2 from ****