Grand Slam (1967)

Entertaining heist-thriller with fine performances from all involved (would've liked seeing Edgar G. Robinson more but all in all was engrossed with the heist itself and the twist or two. Not sure if it ranks high amongst others in the genre (Ocean's Eleven is the top of my list) but still well worth checking out. 3.75/5

This is a surprisingly good little crime drama that has been largely forgotten since 1967 - which is a bit of a shame. Edward G. Robinson is a retired professor 'Anders" who assembles a rather disparate gang in order to execute the most fantastic of heists, from a seemingly impregnable vault, that will leave them the proud owners of $10m in diamonds. His meticulous, almost "League of Gentlemen" (1960) , planning accounts for every detailed aspect of the security around these jewels, and the execution of this part of the plot is (safe) cracking. As usual with most robbery stories, the plot seems to peter out after the criminal denouement, and sadly the ending is just a little to predictable. Good efforts from Klaus Kinski, Robert Hoffman and Janet Leigh as the duplicitous "Mary Ann" - alongside some really innovative use of some shaving foam - keep it enjoyably paced, and quite a bit better than average. The score is quite annoying, and the dialogue could do with just a shade of tightening up, but it's a good looking enjoyable escapade that I rather enjoyed.