Wacky comedy with an anti-establishment edge. But then what would be expected of social critics like Fonda and Sutherland. The surprise here is Peter Boyle who steals the show with Eagle's loony antics. He's both amusing and scary at the same time. It's a bravura performance.
The plot's just goofy enough to fit right in with a band of free spirits wanting to escape dull conformity. Seems they conspire to restore an airplane that's the size and shape of a warehouse so they can fly away to somewhere. That means having to get enough money for outfitting the wreck. For this misfit bunch that means organizing a pick-pocket attack on downtown suits. Grinning along is Sutherland's ex-con Veldini as the ring-leader. Trouble is he's got a respectable brother in the DA's office who aspires to higher elective status, and that means putting a halter on embarrassing brother Veldini. Meanwhile, there's Fonda as a big-haired hooker whose client list seemingly includes every suit in town. Plus seeing Hesseman as the DA, clean-shaven and in a spiffy suit, took me some getting used to after years of his scuzzy dj on WKRP, Cincinnati.
All in all, the 1971 flick (delayed release) amounts to a shady character comedy. There is a mild '60's era subtext but it's more implicit than explicit. At the same time, the non-conformists may be humorous but they're certainly not glorified as an alternative life-style. Then too, it's the byplay between the edgy characters that carries what chuckles there are. Nonetheless, I can see why some folks might dislike the results- no one is particularly likable, even Sutherland's lead character, while the comedic effects depend on the dubious personalities. Anyway, for the most part, I enjoyed the 93-minutes, despite the drawbacks.
