"Big Deal on Madonna Street" is a very funny Italian caper comedy. It's no doubt more humorous to Italians and those who know the language well. The English subtitles may not be able to convey all of what is meant in the dialog. But the caper itself, the circumstances, and the antics of the gang are hilarious at times.
The details, planning and preparation for the heist actually seem to be thorough. They couldn't foresee the vacant apartment suddenly being occupied. They got the floor plan before that and couldn't have anticipated interior changes. So, the comedy comes mostly just in their actions and the situations. When they drilled into the wall and hit a water pipe, then went through a false wall into the kitchen. These were riotously funny scenes.
An enduring thread during the planning for the heist was that the gang members weren't totally dedicated to the task at hand. Nor was it a do or die heist for them. The sense of the plot was that this is just what they did to try to get ahead. If it worked, fine. If it didn't -- well, maybe next time. That is a definite aspect that is quite different from the more serious gang-centered capers of the U.S. and U.K. Yes, even of those comedies.
In the early part of the film, we got a look at the Italian criminal justice system. One suspects there was more than one jab at it in this film. Most Americans are probably surprised to see how it works in Rome, as I was. It's hilarious just to think that someone who is caught in a crime and who has a record, could pay someone else without a record enough money for that person to take the rap and go to jail instead. The film treated that as an everyday thing in Rome. Of course, not all the police officials are to be taken in so easily.
Perhaps there was a message that crime doesn't pay toward the end when Cosimo (Memmo Carotenuto) is run over by a truck and killed as he flees the police. Before that, it was hilarious to see that he had been reduced to snatching women's purses as he rode by on a bicycle and then sped off. Of course, his first attempt failed miserably.
This is an entertaining and fun Italian comedy that ranks among the best of the caper comedies. It has a fine cast that includes some European stars who would not be unfamiliar to English audiences for very long. Most notable among them are Marcello Mostroianni and Claudia Cardinale.
The details, planning and preparation for the heist actually seem to be thorough. They couldn't foresee the vacant apartment suddenly being occupied. They got the floor plan before that and couldn't have anticipated interior changes. So, the comedy comes mostly just in their actions and the situations. When they drilled into the wall and hit a water pipe, then went through a false wall into the kitchen. These were riotously funny scenes.
An enduring thread during the planning for the heist was that the gang members weren't totally dedicated to the task at hand. Nor was it a do or die heist for them. The sense of the plot was that this is just what they did to try to get ahead. If it worked, fine. If it didn't -- well, maybe next time. That is a definite aspect that is quite different from the more serious gang-centered capers of the U.S. and U.K. Yes, even of those comedies.
In the early part of the film, we got a look at the Italian criminal justice system. One suspects there was more than one jab at it in this film. Most Americans are probably surprised to see how it works in Rome, as I was. It's hilarious just to think that someone who is caught in a crime and who has a record, could pay someone else without a record enough money for that person to take the rap and go to jail instead. The film treated that as an everyday thing in Rome. Of course, not all the police officials are to be taken in so easily.
Perhaps there was a message that crime doesn't pay toward the end when Cosimo (Memmo Carotenuto) is run over by a truck and killed as he flees the police. Before that, it was hilarious to see that he had been reduced to snatching women's purses as he rode by on a bicycle and then sped off. Of course, his first attempt failed miserably.
This is an entertaining and fun Italian comedy that ranks among the best of the caper comedies. It has a fine cast that includes some European stars who would not be unfamiliar to English audiences for very long. Most notable among them are Marcello Mostroianni and Claudia Cardinale.