Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Woody Allen | ... | Virgil Starkwell | |
Janet Margolin | ... | Louise | |
Marcel Hillaire | ... | Fritz - Director | |
Jacquelyn Hyde | ... | Miss Blair | |
Lonny Chapman | ... | Jake - Convict | |
Jan Merlin | ... | Al - Bank Robber | |
James Anderson | ... | Chain Gang Warden | |
Howard Storm | ... | Fred | |
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Mark Gordon | ... | Vince |
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Micil Murphy | ... | Frank |
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Minnow Moskowitz | ... | Joe Agneta |
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Nate Jacobson | ... | The Judge |
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Grace Bauer | ... | Farm House Lady |
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Ethel Sokolow | ... | Mother Starkwell |
Dan Frazer | ... | Julius Epstein - The Psychiatrist (as Don Frazier) |
This film is presented as a documentary on the life of an incompetent, petty criminal called Virgil Starkwell. It describes the early childhood and youth of Virgil, his failure at a musical career, and his obsession with bank robberies. The film uses a voice over narrative and interviews with his family, friends and acquaintances. Written by Kunal Taravade <kunal.taravade@symbios.com>
"Take the Money and Run" is an absolutely hilarious Woody Allen film, done in a quasi-documentary style, about a career criminal, Virgil Starkwell, who has a very unsuccessful career. His prison breaks don't go as planned, his robberies are a disaster and usually coincide with someone else's robbery of the same place, and his planning of a job would be fine if only he weren't talking to an associate in a restaurant while the police are in the booth behind him. One nice perk of failure: while attempting to rob a young woman's purse, he falls in love with her (Janet Margolin). Virgil does admit at one point thinking of foregoing robbery and taking up a career in singing. He doesn't mention the cello, which gave him his start in music - and crime.
This is one of those laugh out loud even when you're alone movies of which there are all too few. But this is one. Over a tough, FBI-type narration, we watch Virgil's futile attempts at making money through crime, see his parents (disguised) interviewed, as well as his wife and the various police and investigators he meets along the way.
It's amazing to look at this film and then look at "Match Point" done 35 years later and see the evolution of this brilliant man. Woody Allen is capable of rock-solid comedy as well as provocative movie-making. Although he's had a few blips along the way, one wonders what he'll think of next.