Customer Reviews

Grand Slam

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film is a solid sixties style tour in every aspect. It is a model of a "Mission Impossible' adventure and resembles an early James Bond flick *(Thunderball) in the carnival scenes and LARGO (minus the eye patch and Spectre ring) is even in THIS picture! A professor (Edward G. Robinson) plans a jewel heist and has four experts handle the theft. All of this takes place in Rio during 'Carnival' and we are shown how professionals work together to obtain the goal. A Playboy, A Safecracker, An Electronics Expert and A Military Enforcer work as the team. There is tension and struggle here that will keep you interested and the melody of the Carnival will remain with you long after the picture is over. A neat little plot twist is included in the ending scene in Rome. Well worth the viewing, not the greatest epic ever made but certainly entertaining.

Grand Slam is a surprisingly enjoyable caper flick, and much more fun than any film with middle-aged men in tight black trousers and Klaus Kinski in a sailor suit has any right to be. I say surprisingly because anything that turns up on the Blue Underground label generally turns out to be a disappointment, but this globe-trotting diversion about a heist in Rio de Janeiro during the carnival looks great and is a much better piece of disposable entertainment than either the Rat Pack or Soderberg's Oceanic efforts. Ennio Morricone's main title is a particularly blatant ripoff of Burt Bacharach and the Tijuana Brass' Casino Royale with il maestro's own special flavoring, but only adds to the fun.

Although the only extras are a photo gallery and trailer, the 2.35:1 transfer is for the most part very good, with excellent vivid color.

Also available as a "Two-fer" paired with REVOLVER (1974). ASIN: B0006J2QK2

GRAND SLAM 1967
Film: 8.5/10
Picture quality: 9/10
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (orig)
Run time NTSC 60Hz: 1 59'21"
Audio: GB; F
ST: -
RC 0
Bonus: Trailer; Foto Gallery
Studio: Blue Underground

Excellent classic 60s heist movie ("... one of the best of all time" Roger Ebert) starring Janet Leigh, Klaus Kinski, Edward G. Robinson, Adolfo Celi
Directed by Giuliano Montaldo (MACHINE GUN McCAIN, 1968 - also available on BD+DVD from Blue Underground and on DVD from rarovideo "Gli Intoccabili")

I just happened to rent this because I was out of ideas and needed to put movies into my holds list, boy was I glad I found this hidden gem. Im a huge movie buff and pretty much no about all crime thrillers from the sixtys, but this was a suprise to me. This movie has some of the most beautiful photography I have ever seen on film. The actors were all in fine form, it is a little slow in spots but it manages to be suspensful throughout. Alot of times I find myself dissapointed by these forgotten films,(usually there forgotten for a reason)however grand slam is a twisty clever little crime caper thats worth your time if you like this particular genre.

Grand Slam is a precursor to what would have been Mario Bava's Rabid Dogs. In fact the film kinda feels like a Bava film in a way. An old professor (played by Edward G Robinson) in Rio decides to cobble together a fantastic group of thieves to pull off the ultimate heist. Several twists and turns get in the way. Ennio Morricone's wonderful theme song is also a knockout. Janet Leigh and Klaus Kinski (now there are two people I'd never thought I'd ever see in the same movie...) also star.

Late in his career Edward G. Robinson played a string of cultured, intellectual criminals who use their minds rather than their guns. "Grand Slam" allows him to reprise his "Seven Thieves" character--the academic who has turned to crime. He has a foolproof plan to steal a fortune in diamonds from a Rio bank vault during the Carnival. To reveal more would be to kill the suspense of the film. Suffice it to say that, like many Italian crime films of this period it carries a sting in the tail and leaves a bitter aftertaste. Robinson and his criminal colleagues (Adolfo Celi, Klaus Kinski, Riccardo Cucciolla, Robert Hoffmann and Georges Rigaud) are all excellent, as is Janet Leigh in her role as a bank employee whose cooperation must be obtained by hook or by crook.

Without re-hashing the synopsis of this classic heist thriller shown above, let me say I really loved two things about this DVD: being in Rio De Janeiro in the mid 60's, and the incredible haunting music by Ennio Morricone. His soundtrack is as good or better than any other movie he scored. There is some great, haunting bossa nova music in this caper. This movie was virtually impossible to find on video. Now you can view in the clarity of DVD. This movie is worth having if you love Brazil, and want to hear some classic moody 60's music.

The standards of some reviewers must be quite low to rate this as even a 4-star movie. Yes, it had some good stars; and the plot had a few good twists. However, the latter attribute is what we expect from a caper movie, in fact defines one. Also, the sexism was antiquated even by 1968. Robinson's acting in this was perfunctory; the Italian's attitude toward sex was more American c.1968, than European; The laser beams literally sag in the vault scene; and the excessive number of close calls became tiresome by the end. There is absolutely nothing to recommend this, given the large number of much better caper movies that have been made in the last 60 years.
Finally, it must be noted that as a package, the DVD is virtually empty of extras, and the print quality is inconsistent, ranging from 2-stars to 4-stars.