$ [Dollars] [The Heist] **** (1971, Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, Gert Fröbe) – Classic Movie Review 9251

Writer-director Richard Brooks’s 1971 comedy crime drama film $ [Dollars] [The Heist] stars Warren Beatty as bank employee Joe Collins, who robs safe deposit boxes with the help of hooker Dawn Divine (Goldie Hawn). Brooks’s intense, ambitious and exciting heist thriller is typical of the early Seventies.

$ [Dollars] [The Heist] motors on its sparkling work from the ideally cast stars, and erstwhile Goldfinger Bond villain Gert Fröbe laughs all the way to the bank as the Hamburg branch manager, Mr Kessel.

Maybe it goes on too long at 121 minutes, but it is always entertaining and doesn’t ever run out of steam.

Also in the cast are Robert Webber, Scott Brady, Arthur Brauss, Robert Stiles, Wolfgang Kieling, Bob Herron, Christiane Maybach, Hans Hutter, Monica Stander, Horst Hesslein and Wolfgang Kuhlman.

$ [Dollars (alternative spelling)] was re-titled The Heist for the UK market. The title $ appears only in the form of a giant character being transported by a crane.

Hawn’s husband Gus Trikonis made a documentary to show off the film’s shooting in Hamburg, as well as personal stories about the actors and the director. They were married from 16 May 1969 to 1976.

A gold bar is much heavier than shown in the film.

$ [Dollars] [The Heist] is directed by Richard Brooks, runs 121 minutes, is made by Pan and Worldwide, is released by Columbia Pictures (1971) (US) and Columbia-Warner Distributors (1972) (UK) , is written by Richard Brooks, is shot by Petrus R Schloemp, is produced by Mike J Frankovich, is scored by Quincy Jones, and is designed by Olaf Ivens and Guy Sheppard.

 © Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9251

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