$ (1971)

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.

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writer:

Richard Brooks

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, Gert Fröbe

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Schmidt
Horst Hesslein	...	Bruno
Wolfgang Kuhlman	...	Furcoat
Klaus Schichan	...	Knifeman (as Klaus Tschichan)

Storyline

Several criminals use safe deposit boxes in a German bank to store large amounts of illicit cash. An employee of the bank learns who they are by means of a prostitute they all patronize, and devises a clever plan with her to steal the money. Now the criminals can't go to the police, but they can try to steal the money back...

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Plot Keywords:

gold bar | scotch whiskey | cocaine | cigar smoking | germany | 

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Taglines:

The BIG bank-heist is on!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was the third film for Goldie Hawn since her meteoric motion picture rise. Her first was Cactus Flower (1969), her second was the highly successful There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), with Peter Sellers, and Hawn was at the time this film was being made and released, scheduled to star in the film version of the Broadway hit comedy, Butterflies Are Free (1972), which became her next movie.

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Goofs

"If the pick-lock key had fallen into Joe's pant-cuff instead of the floor, it would not have made a clink." The key could have easily bounced off the floor and landed in the cuff.

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Quotes

Attorney: Oh, my God! Jesus, when you can't trust a bank.

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Crazy Credits

The title (that is, the original title "$") appears only in the form of a giant character, as would be used in a sign, being transported by a crane while the other opening credits are displayed in the usual way.

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Connections

References Goldfinger (1964)

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Soundtracks

Brooks' 50¢ Tour
Written by Quincy Jones (uncredited)
Sung by Little Richard and Roberta Flack

User Reviews

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

American banking engineer, orchestrating the opening of a high-tech new bank in Germany, conspires to rip-off a gang of crooks and low-lifes who keep their loot in private boxes at the branch. There is quite a long set-up to the protracted chase in this film; luckily it involves a daffy, wonderful Goldie Hawn as a hooker/accomplice to thief Warren Beatty. Hawn is a living, breathing cliffhanger, you never know what she's going to do next. In the middle of the hysteria, there's a beautifully modulated 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. And I made it up myself!"). The chase takes up about two entire reels, and it's been edited with hairbreadth timing. I also loved what first appeared 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 letdown. 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, "$" (pronounced "Dollars") is funny, smart, and filmed in a cool, jazzy style that is no longer fashionable but certainly memorable. ***1/2 from ****

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

February 1972 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Dollars

Filming Locations:

Norway

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pan, Worldwide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1