An group of inept crooks (including Sid "Carry On" James and headed by George Cole, whose work is too little known in the States) decides, after a dismal record of failure, to kidnap the daughter of wealthy William Delaney Gordon (Terry-Thomas). Inadvertently kidnapping his wife instead, they try to squeeze the ransom out of him nevertheless -- and he declines to pay. While Gordon thinks the gang is bluffing (as he bluffed them earlier in the show), word of Gordon's refusal to pony up reaches his wife, who decides to take charge of the inept gang herself and focus on stealing all her husband's money.
Terry-Thomas, in his prime, is the very model of a philandering, playboy husband who involves himself in hilariously absurd, shady business dealings. The middle part of the movie -- dealing with the slighted wife in a sympathetic way, and George Cole's pitiable attempts to retain control of his gang -- sags a bit; and a good courtroom scene that might've been a classic is diluted by someone's peculiar decision to let the audience in the courtroom laugh at absurdity, whereas a stony silence on their part would've been funnier (absurdity on-screen is invariably funnier when observed in all seriousness, yet when an on-screen audience laughs at it, there's no reason for the audience in the theatre to).
"Too Many Crooks", has a solid plot, but it unfolds in a series of comic scenes, some of which are more effective than others (there is a very funny scene, for instance, where Terry-Thomas' character repeatedly tries to enter a burning house to retrieve hidden money.) The movie winds up with an ending that isn't a classic; but the movie has a lot of fun getting there.
Terry-Thomas, in his prime, is the very model of a philandering, playboy husband who involves himself in hilariously absurd, shady business dealings. The middle part of the movie -- dealing with the slighted wife in a sympathetic way, and George Cole's pitiable attempts to retain control of his gang -- sags a bit; and a good courtroom scene that might've been a classic is diluted by someone's peculiar decision to let the audience in the courtroom laugh at absurdity, whereas a stony silence on their part would've been funnier (absurdity on-screen is invariably funnier when observed in all seriousness, yet when an on-screen audience laughs at it, there's no reason for the audience in the theatre to).
"Too Many Crooks", has a solid plot, but it unfolds in a series of comic scenes, some of which are more effective than others (there is a very funny scene, for instance, where Terry-Thomas' character repeatedly tries to enter a burning house to retrieve hidden money.) The movie winds up with an ending that isn't a classic; but the movie has a lot of fun getting there.