Woody, der Unglücksrabe (1969)

Woody, der Unglücksrabe: Directed by Woody Allen. With Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire, Jacquelyn Hyde. The life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber.

“u0026quot;Take the Money and Runu0026quot; is an absolutely hilarious Woody Allen film, done in a quasi-documentary style, about a career criminal, Virgil Starkwell, who has a very unsuccessful career. His prison breaks donu0026#39;t go as planned, his robberies are a disaster and usually coincide with someone elseu0026#39;s robbery of the same place, and his planning of a job would be fine if only he werenu0026#39;t talking to an associate in a restaurant while the police are in the booth behind him. One nice perk of failure: while attempting to rob a young womanu0026#39;s purse, he falls in love with her (Janet Margolin). Virgil does admit at one point thinking of foregoing robbery and taking up a career in singing. He doesnu0026#39;t mention the cello, which gave him his start in music – and crime.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is one of those laugh out loud even when youu0026#39;re alone movies of which there are all too few. But this is one. Over a tough, FBI-type narration, we watch Virgilu0026#39;s futile attempts at making money through crime, see his parents (disguised) interviewed, as well as his wife and the various police and investigators he meets along the way.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s amazing to look at this film and then look at u0026quot;Match Pointu0026quot; done 35 years later and see the evolution of this brilliant man. Woody Allen is capable of rock-solid comedy as well as provocative movie-making. Although heu0026#39;s had a few blips along the way, one wonders what heu0026#39;ll think of next.”