The story is simple. Redford, Segal, Liebman, and Sands work on various criminal activities with each other. Redford and Segal are approached by Moses Gunn, who (for political reasons) wants them to steal a jewel from a museum and give it to him. They do get the jewel out of the museum, but they lose it. They recover it, and lose it again. And again, and again. As Gunn becomes more and more angry at the growing expense of these botched thefts, Redford becomes more and more fanatical at beating the stone - he is convinced that some karma from the stone is preventing him and his team from succeeding in their plans.
This nice little "caper" film is like a full scale movie version of a Road-Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon. Redford and his team don't get injured, but they are so thorough in their planning (like Wile E. is with his use of various Acme machines), and always finds some mild miscalculation unsettles everything. It is a case of frustration on frustration. And it is very funny.
Take the situation where Sands has been arrested. He had the jewel on him when arrested. He has been sprung from jail, but he hid the jewel in the precinct he was taken to. The Precinct is run by William Redfield, who is more concerned with whether the locals in the neighborhood will attack his policemen and the building than in finding criminals.
Redford goes to observe the area, to see how to raid a precinct. While he cases the building he is robbed of his watch. He finally comes up with a scheme involving a helicopter and tear gas. The helicopter lands on the wrong roof, thus wasting time, and when it does land on the precinct, they invade the building, use the tear gas inside and outside (to confuse the dense Redfield), and then finds the holding cell - only to find no rock. They return to the roof and fly off, leaving Redfield happy - he's beaten off the radicals and their attack on his forces of order!
Gunn, Redford, and Redfield have nicely delineated characters. But the best is Zero Mostel, as Sands' father. Mostel, at first, is quite the indignant pater familias, who blames Redford and Segal for leading his son into a life in crime. But gradually it turns out that Sands (in a moment of stupidity) told his father (who is a lawyer) about the rock's location in the cell. Mostel denies it, but he is convinced to tell where he hid it when he thinks he is facing a homicidal maniac. Subsequently he bounces back. He did tell them where it is, but it is nearly impregnable - unless Zero helps them.
It was a pretty good film, and the semi-villainous characterization of Zero's Abe Greenberg is a fine one to set next to Pseudolus in FUNNY THING HAPPENED and Max Bialystok in THE PRODUCERS. Few actors have played such human, even lovable rogues as the great Mostel did.
This nice little "caper" film is like a full scale movie version of a Road-Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon. Redford and his team don't get injured, but they are so thorough in their planning (like Wile E. is with his use of various Acme machines), and always finds some mild miscalculation unsettles everything. It is a case of frustration on frustration. And it is very funny.
Take the situation where Sands has been arrested. He had the jewel on him when arrested. He has been sprung from jail, but he hid the jewel in the precinct he was taken to. The Precinct is run by William Redfield, who is more concerned with whether the locals in the neighborhood will attack his policemen and the building than in finding criminals.
Redford goes to observe the area, to see how to raid a precinct. While he cases the building he is robbed of his watch. He finally comes up with a scheme involving a helicopter and tear gas. The helicopter lands on the wrong roof, thus wasting time, and when it does land on the precinct, they invade the building, use the tear gas inside and outside (to confuse the dense Redfield), and then finds the holding cell - only to find no rock. They return to the roof and fly off, leaving Redfield happy - he's beaten off the radicals and their attack on his forces of order!
Gunn, Redford, and Redfield have nicely delineated characters. But the best is Zero Mostel, as Sands' father. Mostel, at first, is quite the indignant pater familias, who blames Redford and Segal for leading his son into a life in crime. But gradually it turns out that Sands (in a moment of stupidity) told his father (who is a lawyer) about the rock's location in the cell. Mostel denies it, but he is convinced to tell where he hid it when he thinks he is facing a homicidal maniac. Subsequently he bounces back. He did tell them where it is, but it is nearly impregnable - unless Zero helps them.
It was a pretty good film, and the semi-villainous characterization of Zero's Abe Greenberg is a fine one to set next to Pseudolus in FUNNY THING HAPPENED and Max Bialystok in THE PRODUCERS. Few actors have played such human, even lovable rogues as the great Mostel did.