Scott LeBrun Scripted by Wendell Mayes, based on the novel by Donald E. Westlake, "Bank Shot" tells a farcical story with some style. George C. Scott stars, playing the same character that Robert Redford played in the film version of "The Hot Rock", albeit with a different name. Walter Upjohn Ballantyne is a career criminal who breaks out of jail in order to participate in a most unusual bank robbery. He and his cohorts won't just attempt to steal its money, they'll make off with the bank itself! In order to see what I mean, you'll just have to watch this one.The movie isn't exactly perfect. For one thing, it might have been nice to have some genuine tension. It also tends to have frenetic sequences of actors shouting over each other and rendering their dialogue unintelligible. However, the fact that it is so blatantly comedic helps to make up, somewhat, for any holes there are in the script.Guided by actor & director Gower Champion ("Show Boat", "My Six Loves"), "Bank Shot" does have incredible comic energy, and is paced extremely well, wrapping up in a tidy 84 minutes. Its main value is the chemistry between an eclectic ensemble: a very amusing Scott, lovely Joanna Cassidy ("Blade Runner") as the jet setter bankrolling the heist, Sorrell "Boss Hogg" Booke as Ballantynes' shady lawyer, Bob Balaban ("Altered States") as the lawyers' shady nephew, Don Calfa ("The Return of the Living Dead") as the getaway driver, Bibi Osterwald ("As Good as it Gets") as the drivers' mom, and Frank McRae ("48 Hrs.") as the hot tempered safecracker. Look, also, for Liam Dunn ("Blazing Saddles") as a painter and Jack Riley ('The Bob Newhart Show') as an FBI agent. Clifton James ("Live and Let Die") is Ballantynes' nemesis, a prison warden who's actually a fairly amiable character.Bright widescreen photography and a peppy John Morris music score help to make this an agreeable, if not outstanding, comic crime caper. It never does get very unpleasant, which may further enhance its appeal for some viewers.Seven out of 10.

Enchorde Recap: Karp is planning a heist. And for that he needs a true criminal mastermind, Walter Upjohn Ballentine. Problem is, Ballentine is behind bars at Steiger's Institute. And Bulldog Steiger never lets anyone escape, especially not Bellentine. However, Ballentine breaks out and heads out to LA to plan this heist. And what a plan it is... he is not about to just rob a bank. He is about to steal a bank! Comments: A very interesting idea. But the end result is just average. Why? My personal opinion is that most of the characters just pulls it down. Written as a bunch of amateurs to bring about some comic effect, I just found them disturbing. It was really Ballentine that knew what he was doing, the rest of them was mostly just dumb. I found them annoying.Well, still a good heist, and a good heist is always appreciated. So the story saves the movie. Not much more to say, really.5/10

boblipton I do not understand why the movies cannot handle Donald Westlake's comic writing. They miscast them, based on who is hot. They cut out the scenes tat might be cinematically interesting. They miss the points of all the jokes and don't understand the characters. Only when Westlake does the script -- as in THE GRIFTERS or HOT STUFF -- does the point come through. Give this a miss.

Coxer99 Scott cringes when this film is brought up and rightly so; it's one of those capers that start all stops out, but then have nowhere else to go. Gags that have potential and a cast that could have worked a little harder, but the biggest problem was the amatuerish script and the obvious look of boredom on the face of star Scott. If you didn't want to do the film...why did you sign on for it?I'd like to know.