Ganoven auf Abwegen (1973)

Ganoven auf Abwegen: Directed by Alan Myerson. With Mel Stewart, Donald Sutherland, Howard Hesseman, Morgan Upton. Several misfits decide to restore a PBY flying boat and fly to a place where they can enjoy total freedom but a few obstacles hamper their plans.

“A group of misfits in the Oakland area hang out in a junkyard and an abandoned airstrip. They come up with the harebrained scheme of repairing a PBY Catalina flying boat and escaping their troubles. Donald Sutherland plays the black sheep brother of a district attorney (Howard Hesseman) while Jane Fonda is on hand as a high-priced prostitute sorta romanced by the former. Meanwhile Peter Boyle plays an eccentric bloke who used to work in the circus. John Savage is also on hand.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Steelyard Bluesu0026quot; was shot in 1971, but not released until 1973. Sutherland u0026amp; Fonda were an item after the success of u0026quot;Kluteu0026quot; (1971), but this one understandably failed at the box office and fell into obscurity. Itu0026#39;s a drama with amusing touches and not a comedy; although it could be described as a black comedy. It tries to be the early 70u0026#39;s follow-up to iconic counterculture flicks like u0026quot;Easy Rideru0026quot; (1969).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn any case, it starts shaky and I was concerned that I had stumbled upon a real dog, but it thankfully finds its footing by the second act as the characters are fleshed out. I suddenly found myself involved in their story. Boyle goes over-the-top to entertain and his Brando scene is a highlight. Another good sequence involves the successful brother (Hesseman) and his u0026#39;loseru0026#39; sibling (Sutherland) having a melee in a cell.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMeanwhile, Fondau0026#39;s character is a turn-off, but thatu0026#39;s just me. The movie was released during the height of the backlash over her 1972 trip to North Vietnam earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe notable soundtrack fittingly features rockinu0026#39; country blues by variations of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, then known as Better Days; featuring Nick Gravenites and Mike Bloomfield, as well as Maria Muldaur.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Oakland, California, u0026amp; places nearby.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGRADE: C+”