Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Bryan Forbes
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)
Bryan Forbes completely abandons his British new wave origins, which were realistic pictures set in the lives of ordinary people, for a stylish film about a high-class diamond thief set among the ultra rich in Spain. The centerpiece is a long scene where Michael Caine and friends break into a mansion and attempt to steal diamonds in a safe. Forbes decides to cut back and forth between the robbery and a classical music concert attended by the owners of the house, giving equal time to each. When the robbery runs into unexpected trouble, the concert ends and the owners head for home, the two scenes nicely dovetailing. However, the relationships in the film do not work quite so well. Character motivation is lacking, and there is a ludicrous surprise revelation. The ending is anticlimactic and unsatisfying. The film turns out to be one of the more glaring examples of style over substance.
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