Disorganized Crime,
directed by Jim Kouf
(Touchstone, 1989)


Disorganized Crime has been one of my favorite comedy movies since I first saw it in 1990. I have watched it many times and I still laugh. If you think you have bad luck, watch this tale. It will make you feel much better about your own situation.

Frank Salizar (Corbin Bersen) is a bank robber on the run from Newark, New Jersey. He has spotted the perfect bank in a small town in Montana and written a team of bank job experts to meet at his cabin. But as soon as he walks out of the post office, he gets nabbed by two detectives from Newark: George (Ed O'Neil) and Bill (Daniel Roebuck).

Max Green (Fred Gwynne) is an explosives expert. Nick Barkowski (William Russ) is the best in the business with a safe. Carlos Barrios (Reuben Blades) is a shootist. Nick Forgy (Lou Diamond Phillips) can hotwire, paint and drive anything on wheels. They all arrive and find Frank's cabin deserted.

The team decides to wait for Frank. They do not know what the job is, but trust that he wanted them there for a good reason. But Nick does not want to wait, so he steals Ray's car, wrecks it and gets arrested for drunken driving.

The other guys do not know if Nick will talk and decide the only safe thing to do is bail him out. But they are several thousand short on cash, which means they have to steal enough money for the bail ... after they steal a car. They drive to a bridge, park and start walking along the river looking for his tracks. By nightfall all three are lost in the woods. The bank guys come along, find the perfect car parked by a bridge, and steal the car.

Meanwhile, Frank escapes from George and Bill, steals a canoe and heads downstream, then into the mountains. As Frank travels in circles in the woods, the detectives try to get back to town, and the bank guys start robbing businesses. The only people in this town having a good day are the sheriff (Hoyt Axton) and his deputies. They are getting a big laugh out of the big city detectives and their fugitive.

Disorganized Crime is hilarious. You will actually find yourself feeling sorry for these bank robbers. If anything can go wrong, it does for this team.

This is an extremely well-written piece with a nice combination of human drama, action, and adventure all saturated with comedy. The twist at the end will leave you rolling and hoping for a sequel.

There are foot chases, car chases and boat chases with plenty of wrecks and explosions for the adrenalin junkie.

The star-filled cast provides exceptional acting. Even the minor parts in this movie have major players. It makes for exciting characters that have depth, dimension and a rainbow of colors in their personality. You will love every one of them. Even the bad guys are totally likable.

The music is ideal. It flows along with the action and manipulates your emotions, building tension and drama in all the right spots. The photography is excellent.

I love Disorganized Crime and hope that it will someday take its place as a classic among the comedies. Actually, this movie does have much merit as one of Fred Gwynne's last performances. He will remain forever irreplaceable!




Rambles.NET
review by
Alicia Karen Elkins



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