One of the most entertaining Kraft episodes, revolving around the heist of some South American currency plates being shipped via train. Four men of widely disparate backgrounds come together to pull off the heist aboard a train bound from Chicago to Los Angeles. Great cast, especially Jack Kelly as the mastermind and Jesse White as an engraver and forger. The scenes aboard and outside the speeding train are exciting and suspenseful. Martha Hyer plays Kelly's classy wife, and she looks radiant in the part. Other prominent players include Joe Mantell as a former circus acrobat down on his luck, and Robert Conrad as a gigolo who falls in with Kelly. The ending is absolutely hilarious, by the way, and will have you grinning from ear to ear. It doesn't get any better than this, even if you normally don't care for caper movies.
3 Reviews
A man would have to be cold sober to do anything as nutty as this...A drunk would know better.
sol-kay24 January 2012
***SPOILERS*** It's the well off Charles Glenn,Jack Kelly, who's wife Caroline,Martha Hyer, is worth tens of millions of dollars who came up with his hair brained, for him,idea of stealing the money engraving plates from this South American country. This all has to do with Glenn feeling inadequate as a husband in relying his rich wife Caroline to pay his bills. It's the crew that Glenn assembles that do need the money, $250,000.00 each, and are more then willing to pull off the "plate job" as well as willing to risk their lives doing it.
The crew consists of Florida part time beach boy and full time gigolo Gary Kemp played by the always tying to find a reason to pull off his shirt, and show off his tanned muscles,Robert Conrad. There's also expert engraver Emil Cloeck played by Jesse White the soon to become world famous TV Maytag repair man. And least but not least the guy who's to do all the heavy lifting ex circus acrobat and recovering alcoholic Frankie Shields, Joe Mantell. This caper is to all take place on a train going from Chicago to L.A with Shields using his acrobatic skills hopping from the passenger to the baggage car, where the plates are stored, and back without anybody seeing him.
Above average robbery caper movie with a twist or irony in the end when everything, despite all the obstacles against them, working out like clock-work. That's even when Shields broke his hand when a case of whiskey fell on it and had Glenn finish the job of car hopping for him. Gleen for his part almost gets himself killed when he almost fell off the speeding train after returning the plates before they were discovered missing.
***MAJOR SPOILERS*** It was both Glenn's wife Caroline and Kemp's fiancée Ann Crane, Sue Randall, who almost screwed everything up for the trio by flying to L.A, after Anne found a train ticket that Kemp left at her house, to see what their husband and fiancée , who said that they were going on a business trip, were really up to. The surprise ending made things all right for everyone involved,with them avoiding in committing a criminal act, except the South American dictator General Camillo who's picture was on the stolen engraving plates. By the time the plates were stolen used,printing up millions of dollars of Gen. Camillo's country's currency, and brought back to the baggage car Camillo was out of a job due to an assassins bullet!
The crew consists of Florida part time beach boy and full time gigolo Gary Kemp played by the always tying to find a reason to pull off his shirt, and show off his tanned muscles,Robert Conrad. There's also expert engraver Emil Cloeck played by Jesse White the soon to become world famous TV Maytag repair man. And least but not least the guy who's to do all the heavy lifting ex circus acrobat and recovering alcoholic Frankie Shields, Joe Mantell. This caper is to all take place on a train going from Chicago to L.A with Shields using his acrobatic skills hopping from the passenger to the baggage car, where the plates are stored, and back without anybody seeing him.
Above average robbery caper movie with a twist or irony in the end when everything, despite all the obstacles against them, working out like clock-work. That's even when Shields broke his hand when a case of whiskey fell on it and had Glenn finish the job of car hopping for him. Gleen for his part almost gets himself killed when he almost fell off the speeding train after returning the plates before they were discovered missing.
***MAJOR SPOILERS*** It was both Glenn's wife Caroline and Kemp's fiancée Ann Crane, Sue Randall, who almost screwed everything up for the trio by flying to L.A, after Anne found a train ticket that Kemp left at her house, to see what their husband and fiancée , who said that they were going on a business trip, were really up to. The surprise ending made things all right for everyone involved,with them avoiding in committing a criminal act, except the South American dictator General Camillo who's picture was on the stolen engraving plates. By the time the plates were stolen used,printing up millions of dollars of Gen. Camillo's country's currency, and brought back to the baggage car Camillo was out of a job due to an assassins bullet!
The first 90% is great, the final 10% is crap.
planktonrules15 October 2015
In the 1950s and 60s, a bunch of great heist films came to theaters. Films like "Rififi", "Grand Slam", "Oceans 11", "The Asphalt Jungle" and "Bob le Flambeur" all quickly come to mind. Well, it isn't surprising then that television would also tackle the subject--and "Four Into Zero" is such a program.
When the show begins, you see the four gang members practicing for the upcoming heist. Then the show backs up a bit--showing the motivations of the men for committing this robbery. What is the robbery? Some plates for a South American country are on a train going from Chicago to Los Angeles and the men plan on stealing them and printing their own currency--and then returning them before the train arrives at the station. What follows is the heist--and like most films about heists, naturally some things don't go off like planned. Will they get away with this or will their grand plans all fizzle?
For the first 90% of the show, I was hooked. The writing, acting and direction were taut and exciting. And then, at the end, the entire show went into the toilet with an ending that simply defied common sense and will most likely have most viewers mad...mad that the thing ended THIS badly!
When the show begins, you see the four gang members practicing for the upcoming heist. Then the show backs up a bit--showing the motivations of the men for committing this robbery. What is the robbery? Some plates for a South American country are on a train going from Chicago to Los Angeles and the men plan on stealing them and printing their own currency--and then returning them before the train arrives at the station. What follows is the heist--and like most films about heists, naturally some things don't go off like planned. Will they get away with this or will their grand plans all fizzle?
For the first 90% of the show, I was hooked. The writing, acting and direction were taut and exciting. And then, at the end, the entire show went into the toilet with an ending that simply defied common sense and will most likely have most viewers mad...mad that the thing ended THIS badly!
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