Gangster Story (1959) User Reviews

Corny, but enjoyable

[lespaulstandar · 6/10 · 27 July 2006]

This is fun movie to watch if you enjoy old, low-budget B movies. I enjoyed the California scenery and cars from the 1950s probably more than the movie.

The plot and acting is pretty corny but it's still an enjoyable movie, even if it's only for a few laughs.

I even like the stale kind of dialog you get from the cops ... "attention all cars" kind of thing.

It reminds me of something that might have played at one of those old drive-in double features.

The film probably would have been a total dud, but having Walter Matthau helped make it watchable.

Cheesy

[yardbirdsraveup · 5/10 · 19 November 2006]

In the early days of television, there was an influx of great actors and actresses who decided to test the waters of this new media. We had the likes of Dick Powell, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Loretta Young, for example. Not so with Walter Mathau. This great actor actually originated from the early days of television and then migrated to the movies. Mathau did countless guest appearances on many television programs before getting his big break in such films as "The Kentuckian" (1955) and "A Face in the Crowd" (1957). This film was only one of a few that he had under his belt until he made "The Gangster Story" in 1960.

Incidentally, this was his directing debut also, so between appearing in television and movies, this gave him the rare chance to show his talent in this aspect. Unfortunately for Mathau, this was his only attempt to direct a movie. The quality of this film in it's cinematography, the acting and the dialogue is way below standard and this probably was the reason why he never directed another film.

This is, at best, a fair film that is a potential cult classic. The plot is transparent and predictable. The supporting acting is stilted and awkward. His real wife, Carol Grace, plays the typical "bimbo" role of standing-by-her-man-no-matter-how-bad-he-is (*sigh*) in this cheesy docudrama. However, because it is an early Mathau vehicle, it is an interesting conversation piece for those who admire his talents.

Not an academy award winner, but an interesting chestnut from a long and illustrious career.

A low budget gangster movie worth watching if you are a fan of Matthau

[Tweekums · 6/10 · 18 January 2015]

When bank robber Jack Martin kills two police and escapes from custody one might expect him to get as far away as possible or at least lie low… instead he sets about robbing a bank he has invited the police to! That isn't quite as mad as it seems; he told them he a movie rehearsal was taking place. After that he heads out of town with both the police and men working for the local gangster, Dawson, whose turf he violated looking for him. Trying to give them the slip he goes into a library and talks to Carol, the lady on the desk; the next thing we know that are an item! It isn't long before the gangsters catch up with him and they rough him up hoping to find out where the money is; not realising Dawson couldn't care less about the money; he wants to employ Martin. Martin deals with them and is soon working for Dawson. After a succession of successful robberies Carol persuades him to quit; something Dawson won't allow.

This film gets off to a fairly promising start; the opening bank robbery is rather amusing if a little unlikely. Unfortunately things aren't so good after that; there is little obvious chemistry between Martin and librarian Carol; certainly not enough to make us believe she'd walk away from her life to be with a murderous bank robber. Walter Matthau is the reason to watch this as he is always likable even when playing a character we really shouldn't have any sympathy for; the film is also notable as the only film he directed although his direction is clearly not of the same standard as his acting! The rest of the cast are okay at best and some are almost amusingly bad. The action scenes lack the tension they should have; one can tell they were done on a fairly minimal budget. Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't that good either; the only real reason to watch it is Walter Matthau; as actor not director.

Not the worst low budget entry I've seen, but...

[dusty1956 · 2/10 · 24 February 2006]

Gangster Story may have been more interesting with a higher budget and by ditching the California countryside locations. This story seemed to be in a smaller city (one scene has Matthau driving with cows in a field in the background) so I can't see why there would be such a mob presence here.

The bank robbery was actually quite funny. Matthau used all the wit and charm we saw in later films during this scene. He had a few other humorous lines in this film.

Some of the other dialouge was really stiff though, especially with the supporting cast. Looks like they just took people off the street and gave them lines to memorize. There was some really awful acting here. Matthau himself comes across stiffly in his tender scenes with his real wife. The kissing scene was embarrassing to watch.

Someone in another review made a comparison to the old "Highway Patrol" TV show and I agree. That show also was filmed in the California countryside and desert areas. The old black and white police cars in Gangster Story (minus any identification on them) looked and sounded just like THP cars.

I enjoy watching old, low budget films, though. Especially when it contains a major star in an early role. Kind of a cheap thrill, however, I wouldn't put this on anyone's "Don't Miss" list.

Schlocky disappointment - pure camp

[JBThackery · 2/10 · 16 June 2008]

The only good thing in this flop is Matthau himself, due to his ever-reliable acting. It looks like a high school student's first film-making project.

The script is halfway digestible, but forget it as a film overall. The physical quality of the film is poor, rendering a hard-to-watch amateurish mess that looks like it was shot in Super 8 B&W.

Some aspects of the directing are good, such as continuity, camera angles, consistent characterizations, balance of lighting throughout, good splices between medium shots and close-ups, and between location long shots and close-up's, etc. But this is not enough to negate the schlockiness factor. The term "campy" camps in this film.

The casting was, for the most part, amateurish. With a big-name cast and higher quality filming, and maybe a slightly punched-up script, it might have gotten a few feet off the ground.

There is enough good acting on Matthau's part, and that of his girlfriend (played by his newlywed real-life wife, Carol Grace), to somehow help you struggle through this weak effort at cinematography, just to see how in the world it could possibly end. And it does end with an unusual surprise.

Why some actors shouldn't direct

[dbborroughs · 1/10 · 6 January 2009]

The only film directed by Walter Matheau is the first film to go on the worst of the year list for 2009. More home movie then real film this film is a mess. Dis-shelved in a way that Matheau's screen persona became in later years this film is just one big mess. This is the story of bank robber and cop killer who makes an escape to a small town where he robs the local bank and gets in deep with the local crime bosses. Its should be exciting, but its not, with only Matheau seeming to be the only real actor in the bunch. How Matheau got the job directing is beyond me, as is the notion that this was actually shown to a paying audience. Its amateur night at the cinema. The only thing I can think of was everyone in the cast and the director took ill and Matheau and the catering staff stepped in to make the movie. Do not waste your time this is a bad film, and not in a good way.

Is this the film that got Walter Matthau noticed?...

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 15 May 2021]

.... because he leaps off the screen compared to the other actors, all of which have such wooden performances you could build a bonfire out of them.

It's about a bank robber, Jack Martin (Walter Matthau) who has just escaped the police but has one handcuff still attached to his wrist. He gets out of that cleverly. Then he decides to rob a small town bank in a most unconventional way. But the local mob - which Martin knows nothing about - is angry that this guy "invaded their territory" and are out looking for him. He realizes he's being followed, but he thinks they are the cops. Meanwhile, after the robbery, he has started working at a citrus ranch owned by a librarian, and things begin to get romantic between them. When the mob catches up to him, they make him an offer he can't refuse. How does this turn out? Watch and find out.

Matthau directed this and never directed another one. It's a virtue to cut your losses and apply yourself to what you are good at, in his case acting. The dialogue is very non-descript, the female lead (that's actually Matthau's wife playing this part) looks like she might have an intriguing backstory that is never examined, and the art design is ponderous. Why is there a big sign that says "Police Station" inside a police station? With a detective reading "Law and Order" magazine in his spare time.?

The film gets one thing right - When your actors make the ones in Ed Wood movies look like they are of Shakespearean quality, and your dialogue is flat, go with the one thing you have left - Hurry! Keep the pace quick, keep the action interesting, keep people guessing (sort of) what is going to happen next. And this film does that.

If you like Matthau - I do - this is probably worth a look. It is definitely not boring.

Matthau makes it interesting

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 28 October 2012]

Gangster Story has the distinction of being the first film Walter Matthau ever starred in and the only film he ever directed. And for him personally he wedded his leading lady Carol Grace aka Carol Marcus. She became the second Mrs. Matthau.

It has a lot of similarities to one of Matthau's better serious roles Charley Varrick which was directed by Don Siegel after Matthau became a star. Unfortunately this one was shot on a dental floss budget and Matthau the actor did not get any great performances out of his cast.

Matthau plays a bank robber who has just escaped police custody and goes right to work and pulls off a nice bank robbery which comes to the attention of a local crime boss. He gets Matthau in his organization and they pull a big score, but the getaway was a bloody mess.

Matthau also has taken up with a local librarian who is intrigued by him even before she learns he's a professional criminal. The chance to leave her humdrum life as a librarian to become possibly Bonnie Parker is also intriguing, but up to a point.

As for the ending, no surprises but it doesn't end like Charley Varrick. Think of the film Heat from Robert DeNiro's point of view.

The only other person in the cast of note is Garry Walberg who plays one Matthau's henchmen from the big score who proves to be a loyal friend.

The whole affair in noir black and white looks like it was shot with a Kodak home movie camera. Matthau makes it interesting, but Ed Wood had bigger budgets.

If you like low budget movies... Intimate Portrait

[manuel-pestalozzi · 7/10 · 1 December 2005]

I do like low budget movies, they often have an intimacy that is hard to maintain in larger productions with more people involved. Mistakes and goofs can be accepted as additional content or message, they can even lend the movie its own personal charm. This is certainly the case in Gangster Story – definitely a low budget affair. I have the impression that for Walter Matthau this was a very personal affair. The basic theme is the relationship between him and the female lead who happens to be his wife in real life. Matthau plays a funnyman with a dark streak and a tendency for self destruction, Carol Grace a demure librarian with a will who starts a love affair with the gangster Matthau plays. The great achievement of the movie lies in the fact that it successfully shows that two people from entirely different backgrounds who meet by chance are attracted to each other. From the beginning there is a palpable erotic tension between the two. Difficult to say how this is communicated to the audience, there is not much kissing going on or any nudity. But then one has to remember that despite of the grainy black and white, the clipped dialog and the not very inspired direction that one is watching two top performers in a character driven movie. The story is not very original but tight and minimalistic. Thanks to the good acting performances it works quite well nonetheless.

I like to think that Matthau and Grace tried to analyse their own characters and their relationship in real life by means of making Gangster Story, I also like to think that Matthau at that time dabbled in directing the way John Cassavetes did. It might be just as well that he didn't pursue this part of movie making. The only thing I do regret is that Carol Grace cannot be seen in more movies. Her only other part was, according to IMDb, in Mikey an Nicky, where she played alongside John Cassavetes and Peter Falk in a performance that was equally memorable.

Walter Matthau had his lean years too

[TC-4 · 7 October 2000]

I just saw Gangster Story(1960). It was funny to see the great Walter Matthau in such an awful, extremely low budget film. It made the old Broderick Crawford Highway Patrol look good in comparison. I think that this would give Plan 9 From Outer Space competition as the worst movie ever.

What $75,000 will get you in 1959

[bobvend · 4/10 · 1 October 2015]

To Walter Matthau fans- of which I am one- 'Gangster Story' has the look and feel of a very early (possibly first) film acting appearance which was kept in it's rusty can upon completion, only to be released years later to cash in on his popularity once the actor gained more esteem. That's why I find it hard to believe this effort came after his riveting Oscar-worthy turn in 'A Face In The Crowd' (1957).

The effect is almost like watching Gene Hackman peddling frying pans at a swap meet. Mr. Matthau must have been in very dire straits to agree to sign on to this project. That being said, he is still the best element of this mercilessly low-budget film. His trademark dry humor peers through in some scenes, and his newlywed wife Carol Grace gives a performance that get better as her character is allowed to develop.

To say "Gangster Story' is a curiosity is a vast understatement. If one takes it for what it is, it will hold your interest, despite the rampant clumsiness of dialog and action throughout. Worth a peek.

Walter M, Meets Coleman F.

[verbusen · 8/10 · 3 October 2015]

This is a hilarious drive in ultra low budget flick starring and directed by our favorite actor, whether the film sucks or not....Walter Mathieu! Lets face it, we love watching a film with Walter in it, and even the ones that totally suck, we still had a mostly good time. This one is like if you crossed a Coleman Francis, "Night Train To Muno Fine" with Walter's later films Charlie Varik and A New Leaf. He was playing his part and we are laughing at it especially now that we see the origins. This is a mostly dubbed dialog film and it's, so, so, low budget. Recommended for any Mathieu fan really. Awesome cheesiness. Vic Tayback is also in this with a dubbed voice, this film is just that cheesy. This film is so bad that it may have been a low budget parody, but I'm going to guess it has comic elements only to enhance a story that was thought to be dramatic. Kind of a high brow, "Red Zone Cuba" if you will. Coleman Francis may have been inspired by this work of art, I know I was.

not bad

[KyleFurr2 · 7/10 · 24 October 2005]

This was a really low budget movie that was directed by Walter Matthau and the only one he directed too. This was the only movie Matthau's wife starred in and her name was Carol Grace. Before this movie Matthau had been only supporting actor in movies like The Indian Fighter and A Face In The Crowd. This is a really short movie at 65 minutes and it's easy to see why he didn't direct another movie. The plot to this movie is pretty simple in which Matthau is a bank robber who works alone and he goes out west. Matthau robs a bank and the cops think he works for the top mobster out here and they blame him. Matthau then falls in love with a librarian, played by Carol Grace, who won't turn him in after she finds out he's wanted.

Interesting for Matthau Fans, But Few Others

[jayraskin1 · 2/10 · 15 January 2011]

It is noteworthy that this was made in 1959, around the same time that "Breathless" and the French Nouvelle Vague was beginning. It looks like a new wave film, but instead of celebrating the freedom and independence of low budget, auteur film-making, it seems to be trying and failing to be a "B" movie or even a Monogram "C" movie.

It is much closer to bad early Roger Corman ("Swamp Women" or "She Gods of Shark Reef" than to great early Roger Corman ("Attack of the Crab Monster," or "Bucket of Blood") Matthau has some interesting cutting and camera angles, but he gets no performances out of his cast, including himself. The writing is bland and Ed Wood amateurish. The first bank robbery where Matthau pretends to be shooting a movie to lure the bank president inside his closed bank is ridiculous. The cops who stand guard outside the bank while this is going on would have to be mentally retarded or the most trusting souls in California to fall for the ruse.

Matthau kills about seven cops, and a couple of innocent people, yet the movie seems to want to create sympathy for him by making him a Korean/Invasion of Normandy army veteran. Matthau has a bloodhound face that immediately makes us want to sympathize with him. This is the secret of his success, perhaps. It is too bad that as a director he was unable to put it to use.

I would recommend this only for fans of Matthau who wish to see every film he was in. Otherwise, if you want a film where Matthau plays a gangster who falls in love and likes to gamble on horses, like this one, but unlike this movie is professionally done, try "Little Miss Marker." That film is delightful.

Charley Varrick before its time.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 26 May 2008]

What a real pleasure for me to discover this flick. I was really amazed. Not a great picture, but short, sharp, accurate in action and characters. For a B movie I mean. No wasted shots in directing.

Of course, we have already seen this scheme a thousand times, but it is still effective. Matthau is excellent and prepares us for "Charley Varrick", shot a decade later: A bank robber with the crime syndicate on his heels. No user seems to have noticed that.

Description of the two heists of the film are delightful, meticulously described. And the bank robbery at the beginning is very funny. But this doesn't alter the tragic content of the story.

The Odd Gangster

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 28 March 2007]

Although this is film-making from the lowest echelons of independent cinema, with a budget that makes a shoestring look fat, there is something about it that just occasionally raises it above the countless other no-budget b-movies of its type.

Of course, the fact that Matthau's in it is probably the only reason we still have the opportunity to see it today. As well as starring, Matthau directed, and it's easy to see why he chose to stick with acting. Walter's choice of shots is sometimes comically bad; at one point, two characters holding a conversation look as if they're both staring at empty corners of the room because of the confused shooting angles he adopts.

The story is a run-of-the-mill crime plot chronicling the rise and fall of Jack Martin, an escaped convict with nerves of steel and a sense of humour. Martin manages to persuade the police to help him rob a bank, and gets his pursuers to hold a library door open for him so that he can make his escape. Inside the library, he woos the prim librarian (the future Mrs Matthau) by admitting he's a bank robber. No ordinary anti-hero then - at least not for the early sixties.

Sadly, that's pretty much all this film's got going for it. Matthau aside, the acting is pretty awful and there are plot holes you could drive an armoured truck through.

Love Those 1950's Cars

[dglink · 4/10 · 6 October 2015]

Saddled with a colorless generic title, "Gangster Story" plays like an episode from a 1950's TV show like "Dragnet" or "Highway Patrol." Drifting bank robber, Jack Martin, casually cons local police and robs a bank in broad daylight, drops into the public library and picks up the blonde be-spectacled librarian, then accepts her job offer to work at a small ranch outside town. Martin's successful bank job is noted by the town's mob boss, who then hires him to beef up his own bank robbing operations. The body count rises, while the totally unconvincing plot unfolds, and Martin embarks on a low heat affair with the librarian.

Walter Matthau directed and stars as Martin. While his direction is lackluster, his acting is acceptably professional; however, better known now as a comedian, Matthau at times comes across as playing for a laugh rather than straight. Other than Carol Grace as the librarian, the cast is largely non-professional, and the B-minus budget kept filming locations to real banks, country clubs, and apartments. The black-and-white cinematography is flat like a vintage television show, although classic car buffs will delight in shots of Cadillac, Ford, Chevrolet, and Hudson models from the mid to late 1950's, when fins and chrome ruled. Based on a story by Richard Grey, the script for "Gangster Story" is lame and has enough bad dialog and situations for an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000;" in fact, the action often resembles that of a cheapie sci-fi movie from the period, only a giant mantis or tarantula is missing. Obviously, Matthau went on to better roles, and this early low-budget entry on his resume offers a glimpse of the young actor while still learning his trade. "Gangster Story" is for complete-ists among Matthau's fans, aficionados of 1950's American automobiles, and those who relish the delights of B movies.

Not even a B movie

[johno-21 · 2/10 · 1 February 2013]

I recently saw this on TCM. I tuned in after it started so I had no idea what it was. I thought it was one of those corny educational films they used to show in classrooms in the 1950's that occasionally show up in TCM for the laugh value. That is, until I heard what sounded like Walter Matthau's voice and sure enough it was him so it must actually be a theatrical release. Matthau plays Jack Martin a hood rising up on to the FBI's most wanted list. Despite all the references to the FBI in this so-called film you only see the Anaheim police as the only guys doing any crime fighting here. Martin is hiding out in rural southern California and goes to work for local mob boss Earl Dawson (Bruce McFarlane) and his number two henchman Adolph (Garry Walberg) and somehow convince pretty bi-speckled librarian Carol Logan (Matthau's real-life wife Carol Grace) to become his girlfriend. This movie is so bad it doesn't even deserve to a B movie or even a C movie. This is like a high school class film project. It's Matthau's only turn as a director and as such he no idea what he's doing. I don't know how this project was ever green-lighted. After appearing as a guest star in 20 different TV series and nine films up until this time, including a couple of well known movies, I have no idea why he would diminish his talents and rising reputation as an actor to be in this 1959 flop.This is like watching a car wreck. I would give this 2.5 out of 10. That's generous just out of curiosity sake.

There have been many great film noir gangster movies over the years...this is not one of them.

[ofpsmith · 4/10 · 18 December 2015]

Gangster Story is kind of a flat story. The story itself is decent but I don't think it was carried out very well. Not to mention some parts of the story were just pointless. It was a good story at first but then I thought it got lost. Jack Martin (Walter Matthau) is a bank robber on the run from the law. Using skills of deception and multiple identities, he manages to pull off a bank heist. When he meets librarian Carol Logan (Carol Grace) he moves in with her, and decides to stay in town. But local crime boss Earl Dawson (Bruce MacFarlane) hears that somebody pulled off a heist in "his territory" he attempts to enlist Martin into his crime family. After that the story just kind off runs around. It's a coherent story, but it's lazy and poorly done. The romance between Martin and Carol is spontaneous and it's not really interesting either. I've heard that this film is based on a true story. Weather or this is actually true is unknown to me. What I do know is that Gangster Story is a lazy and boring film noir.

Walter Mathau tries his hand at direction!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 19 December 2017]

Adjectives such as "polished" and "worth seeing" could not be applied to Gangster Story (1960), which would not be worth watching at all were it not the only film directed by Walter Mathau.

True, this movie actually offers further curiosity value in that the feminine lead, Carol Bruce, was in point of fact, Mathau's real-life wife.

To my great surprise, Mathau himself is most unflatteringly photographed.

Nevertheless, Mathau plays the title role with his usual zest, but his direction is no more than a poor man's television attempt in style, and it shows little inspiration until the action sequences. These at least are handled with a fair degree of competence and make good use of real locations.

But maybe these scenes are actually the work of some experienced, but not credited, location director?

No-budget, ragtag noir gem yields surprising results!

[Dewey1960 · 7/10 · 20 September 2008]

One of the more pleasing aspects of having a cable channel like TCM is the comforting knowledge that sooner or later so many wonderful quasi-obscure little film noir gems will eventually be broadcast and make their way into the home libraries of those who so ravenously covet them.

One such deliriously sublime example is GANGSTER STORY, a no-budget 1960 indie noir that starred and was directed by Walter Matthau. Produced in Los Angeles on virtually no money at all, it tells the simple but compelling story of criminal Jack Martin (Matthau) who, at the outset of the story has escaped his police captors and killed a cop in the process. His flight takes him to a quiet little town where he holes up while planning an outrageously weird bank job back in the big city. The heist nets him a bundle and now with the cops, the FBI and the outraged local crime kingpins (how dare this punk upstage them!) hot on his trail, the chase that will lead to Martin's ultimate destiny becomes hotter by the minute.

This is a tough one to recommend across the board, as there will no doubt be many who are put off by the obvious lack of resources devoted to the making of this picture. But connoisseurs of ragtag B crime noirs are likely to savor the abundance of eccentric touches that Matthau invests in this truly odd and surprisingly inventive thriller. Trivia freaks will enjoy knowing that Carol Grace, the actress who plays Matthau's love interest, became the real-life second Mrs. Matthau a couple of years later.

Matthau, Grace had recently got married

[adrianovasconcelos · 5/10 · 13 February 2024]

Besides the rather unusual fact that Walter Matthau directed and was male lead in GANGSTER STORY, he had just married Carol Grace and they seem completely in love. In fact, their marriage would last until his death in 2000.

The film itself is nothing to write home about: shoestring budget, minimal production values, basic cinematography, and a script that at times appears to have been rearranged as shooting unfolded. Two mainstays: security guards in this flick come across as gullible, policemen as deadly, while Jack Martin (Walter Matthau) cons his way past bank managers and street beat cops.

In the end, malevolent Matthau finds out that he should have cleared off to Mexico instead of seeking revenge on his betraying crime boss, while graceful Grace gets to keep the dosh... or does she? She turns around, does not cross to Mexico.

Matthau is always worth watching, the rest is entirely forgettable.

Itch for Scratch

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 13 February 2006]

(SOME SPOILERS) Effective low budget crime flick with Walter Matthau, Jack Martin, both staring as well and directing.

Escaping form being extradited at the airport Jack Martin gunned down two lawmen and goes into hiding in a downtown hotel. Getting his priorities in order Martin devises a plan to rob the local bank using the excuse to the police that he's doing a movie about a bank robbery and the bank president is staring in it. The cops just stand outside the bank, hoping to be in Martin's movie, and watch Martin pull off the robbery not realizing that it's the real thing.

Mob kingpin Earl Dawson, Bruce MacFarland, is outraged that the bank robbery was pulled off without him having anything to do with it as well as not getting a percentage of the loot. Dawson is also mad that the robbery took place in his mob controlled territory and he'll be blamed for something that he had nothing to do with.

Finding that Martin is at the racetrack laundering the stolen money Dawson has two of his hoodlums track him down but Martin outsmarts them and ends up blowing the two away. it's also during this time Martin got to know and become very friendly Carol, Carol Grace, a local librarian whom he met when he was running from the police.

Figurings out that if you can't beat him let him join your organization Dawson sends Martin a peace feeler and offers him to join his mob with just his second in command Adolph, Garry Walberg, being the only person, besides himself, who gives Martin orders. Martin quickly becomes a sensation in the world of crime pulling off a string of daring robberies that result in millions of dollars going into the coffers of the Dawson Mob. Martins masterpiece being the rip off of the impregnable Meadow Lark Country Club. It's there where the biggest bookie operation in the state the Gordon Bookmaker Syndicate works out of.

Getting together a number of Dawson's men, including Adolph, Martin pulls off the Meadow Lark caper but only himself and Adolph survives the shoot-out with the police at a highway road block. Back home with Carol Martin is told by her that she's leaving him if he doesn't quit his life of crime and the Dawson Mob. Agreeing with Carol Martin decides to tell Dawson that he's through with him and is going to retire together with Carol to Mexico.

Mad as hell at Martin for quiting on him Dawson later tells Adolph to rat him out to the FBI and see to it that he never makes it across the border. Adolph who owes his life to Matin, for saving him from getting shot and killed by the highway cops, has second thoughts about ratting him out to the feds. After tipping off the FBI about his, and Carol's planned escape, Adolph calls Martin and tells him that his former boss Earl Dawson had tried to double-cross him. With Carol driving to Mexico Martin tells her that he'll meet her there the next day but what he really intends to do is to pay Dawson a surprise visit.

A bit tongue in cheek with Mattau being more funny then serious in the film as he's almost invisible, he doesn't even bother to ware a disguise, in his many criminal exploits that he commits in the film. Matthau, or Jack Martin, goes on robbing banks and gunning down policemen all throughout the movie yet he seems to be almost unrecognizable, despite his wanted photo plastered all over the newspapers and on the TV news shows, to the police and people in town who don't even bother to give him a second look in the movie!

Charley Varrick Where Are You?

[godfreecharlie · 4/10 · 21 November 2020]

The highly implausible circumstance surrounding this unlikely scenario is it's failure. Both the criminal and the victims are perfect candidates for MST3000. Enjoy this film as a comedy, as it should have been promoted this way. Nothing more to say here.

Really Bad

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

Gangster Story (1958)

* (out of 4)

Walter Matthau directed this film, his only stint in the director's chair. Matthau plays a hardened bank robber/cop killer who tries to hide in a small town but mafia dudes come chasing him. The plot of this film really makes no sense and the performances are all rather bad. This is an ultra low budget film that seems to have been filmed without sound and then later dubbed in. I'd recommend everyone watch this film at least once to see the dumbest bank heist in the history of film.

Thankfully Walter went back to acting.