Olsen-bandens store kup (1972)

Director:

Erik Balling

Writers:

Henning Bahs (writer)
Erik Balling (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 1972 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Plot:

After his usual stay behind bars, Egon has another cunning plan involving millions. They rob over 4 million from a money transport...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Olsenbanden | Character Name In Title

Cast

Ove Sprogøe	...	Egon Olsen
Morten Grunwald	...	Benny Frandsen
Poul Bundgaard	...	Kjeld Jensen
Kirsten Walther	...	Yvonne Jensen
Arthur Jensen	...	Kongen
Poul Reichhardt	...	Knægten
Jesper Langberg	...	Mortensen
Bjørn Watt-Boolsen	...	Politichefen
Helle Virkner	...	Højesteretssagførerens hustru
Asbjørn Andersen	...	Højesteretssagfører
Jes Holtsø	...	Børge Jensen
Annika Persson	...	Sonja
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gotha Andersen	...	Bademesteren
Gert Bastian	...	Bankchauffør
Jørgen Beck	...	Overtjener på hotel
Edward Fleming	...	Lufthavnsbetjent
Poul Glargaard	...	Pilot
Poul Gregersen	...	Bassist
Børge Møller Grimstrup	...	Værkfører
Tage Grønning	...	2. violin
Gunnar Hansen	...	Kommentator ved fodboldkamp (voice)
Ove Verner Hansen	...	Købmanden
Knud Hilding	...	Betjent
Kay Killian	...	Pianist
Anton Kontra	...	1. violin
Bertel Lauring	...	Tjener på hotel
Ernst Meyer	...	Bankfunktionær
Jens Okking	...	Køkkenmester
Søren Rode	...	Fremmedarbejder
Claus Ryskjær	...	Ekspedient i tøjforretning
Bjørn Spiro	...	Bankchauffør
Karl Stegger	...	Tjener
Søren Strømberg	...	TV-speaker
Solveig Sundborg	...	Nabokonen
Bent Thalmay	...	Bud fra pelsfirma
Poul Thomsen	...	Pilot
Bent Vejlby	...	Lufthavnsbetjent
Holger Vistisen	...	Receptionist på hotel
Bent Warburg	...	TV-regissør
Henrik Wiehe	...	Mand i fly

Also Known As:

The Olsen Gang's Big Score (International: English title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Company:

Nordisk Film

Trivia:

One of the mugshots the bank clerk looks at, when trying to identify the man who handed in the suitcase with the stolen money, depicts writer Henning Bahs

Movie Connections:

Followed by Olsen-banden på sporet (1975)

Though it does contain some memorable scenes, this is a lesser of a film than the later entries... fortunately, this is the last of the bad films

This is the last of the poor movies regarding the Olsen Gang. The last true example of poor writing and a lack of creativity. After this, they truly start getting clever and sophisticated. There are good things in this - the speech near the end and the main robbery both leap to mind - the problem is that they're few and far apart. The plot starts out fine(if the initial, pre-credits robbery is below what the Gang would usually be caught doing(literally)(though it is, admittedly, based on a rather humorous observation)), but it quickly gets off track. Unrealistically fast developments, too many mix-ups(though not as many as in the first) and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of lucky coincidences. More of the famous and beloved trademarks are set(this is the first time we see a red suitcase, which later become the definite sign of money being transported as carry-on luggage, and this is also the first time Ove Verner Hansen is seen and introduced as a threatening presence(then again, with his physique, what else could he be?), though not in the role we later become accustomed to him playing), and the series slowly reaches the quality that we Danes remember it for. This is less than the former, but not worse than the first two(and slightly better, on some things). The humor is mostly silly... still some humane details, but the satire is less biting and accurate. Slapstick is present. There was even a point where two characters burst into song. Luckily, from the next film and onwards, this transcends the typical Danish film of this period... something this one, except for as far as a few attributes go, cannot claim to have accomplished. Yet again, the writers bring in a rivaling gang of criminals... third time's the charm, huh? It might have been effective to at least separate the films where you use this plot item... three films in a row, all with the major opposition coming from the same basic group of people(and not the police, at that). The two petty thieves are hardly credible as the long-time nemesis of The Olsen Gang... they're certainly less talented. The character of Sonja, the younger sister of the younger thief seems to be added mainly to attract the young male crowd. How else to explain the utterly gratuitous shot of her getting into the jacuzzi naked(from the back, but still)? Jesper Langberg takes over from Peter Steen(apparently portraying the same character?) in making fun of the police, but to much less effect. The new police chief is fine, but Watt-Boolsen suits the later role(s) as a criminal/businessman(in these films, the line between the two trades can be quite thin) much better. Similarly, Arthur Jensen is far more entertaining in his later supporting roles than in his performance as The King, the older of the two thieves. Claus Ryskjær has a nice, if tiny, role where he is his usual neurotic self(later to be given a larger role in the ninth film). The planning aspect of the film starts to take shape for the later films nicely this time around, but Bahs and Balling has Egon make a ridiculous mistake in this(not to mention the endless mix-ups and coincidences between the various characters) that we'd never see the Egon of later films do. In fact, many of his actions in this seem tailor-made simply to allow The King and The Jack to get the better of him. A less well-written effort, but also the last of the poor ones. Grant it a viewing for the jokes and gags on confirmation, and then rush on to the remaining films of the series. I recommend this to only the biggest of The Olsen Gang fans. 6/10