I love 'Swinging London' movies ( real ones that is, not spoofs such as 'Austin Powers' ) and 'The Jokers' is a good example. It was directed by the much-maligned Michael Winner during what might be termed his 'golden age', the era of 'The System', 'You Must Be Joking!', 'Hannibal Brooks', and 'I'll Never Forget Whatsisname'.
Having been booted out of the army for cheating during a training exercise, Michael Tremayne ( Michael Crawford ) decides to get even with the British establishment by making an extravagant gesture, hence he and brother David ( Oliver Reed ) execute a brilliantly conceived scheme to steal The Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
They plan to elude justice by leaving letters with solicitors stating that their intention was not to permanently deprive the Monarchy of their beloved trinkets ( apparently, this loophole in British law actually exists ).
The public takes the thieves to their hearts ( echoes of The Great Train Robbers ). But then something goes wrong. Unbeknowest to David, Michael did not submit his letter, leaving his brother to take the blame for the theft...
Though Winner came up with the basic idea, the script was penned by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, then fresh from their successful B.B.C. sitcom 'The Likely Lads'. There is little of the humour of that show here, but it is witty and engaging. In the aftermath of the robbery, various members of the public are interviewed by a television news reporter. One man says he is not sorry for The Queen as she can 'always put in an insurance claim'. A holiday maker ( Frank Finlay ) jokingly tells Customs officers that he has nothing to declare 'except the Crown Jewels'. But the joke backfires as the officers proceed to dismantle his car!
As the Tremayne brothers, Crawford and Reed are great. They are rich, good-looking, and popular with the débutantes so by rights you should hate them, but you do not. In fact you find yourself hoping they will get away with it. Surprisingly, the stars only worked together one more time - 1981's Walt Disney romp 'Condorman'.
Great supporting cast - James Donald as a dimwitted army colonel, Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's finest 'Inspector Maryatt', and Brian Wilde as his incompetent sidekick 'Sgt. Catchpole'. Warren Mitchell, Edward Fox, Daniel Massey, William Mervyn, and Julian Holloway are also in evidence.
The jokers preface their theft by staging a hoax bombing campaign in the London capital, credited to 'Red George'. Unfortunately, a few years later, bombs started going off there for real, courtesy of the I.R.A., hence it was a good thing this was made when it was.
Winner's brisk direction perfectly complements the amusing script and deft performances. There's also a lively soundtrack by Johnny Pearson.
My only complaint is that there was never a sequel: 'The Jokers Strike Again!' in which the Tremaynes go after the Mona Lisa!
Having been booted out of the army for cheating during a training exercise, Michael Tremayne ( Michael Crawford ) decides to get even with the British establishment by making an extravagant gesture, hence he and brother David ( Oliver Reed ) execute a brilliantly conceived scheme to steal The Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
They plan to elude justice by leaving letters with solicitors stating that their intention was not to permanently deprive the Monarchy of their beloved trinkets ( apparently, this loophole in British law actually exists ).
The public takes the thieves to their hearts ( echoes of The Great Train Robbers ). But then something goes wrong. Unbeknowest to David, Michael did not submit his letter, leaving his brother to take the blame for the theft...
Though Winner came up with the basic idea, the script was penned by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, then fresh from their successful B.B.C. sitcom 'The Likely Lads'. There is little of the humour of that show here, but it is witty and engaging. In the aftermath of the robbery, various members of the public are interviewed by a television news reporter. One man says he is not sorry for The Queen as she can 'always put in an insurance claim'. A holiday maker ( Frank Finlay ) jokingly tells Customs officers that he has nothing to declare 'except the Crown Jewels'. But the joke backfires as the officers proceed to dismantle his car!
As the Tremayne brothers, Crawford and Reed are great. They are rich, good-looking, and popular with the débutantes so by rights you should hate them, but you do not. In fact you find yourself hoping they will get away with it. Surprisingly, the stars only worked together one more time - 1981's Walt Disney romp 'Condorman'.
Great supporting cast - James Donald as a dimwitted army colonel, Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's finest 'Inspector Maryatt', and Brian Wilde as his incompetent sidekick 'Sgt. Catchpole'. Warren Mitchell, Edward Fox, Daniel Massey, William Mervyn, and Julian Holloway are also in evidence.
The jokers preface their theft by staging a hoax bombing campaign in the London capital, credited to 'Red George'. Unfortunately, a few years later, bombs started going off there for real, courtesy of the I.R.A., hence it was a good thing this was made when it was.
Winner's brisk direction perfectly complements the amusing script and deft performances. There's also a lively soundtrack by Johnny Pearson.
My only complaint is that there was never a sequel: 'The Jokers Strike Again!' in which the Tremaynes go after the Mona Lisa!