The Lavender Hill Mob.

Review #953: The Lavender Hill Mob.

Cast:
Alec Guinness (Henry "Dutch" Holland), Stanley Holloway (Alfred "Al" Pendlebury), Sid James (Lackery Wood), Alfie Bass (Shorty Fisher), Marjorie Fielding (Mrs. Chalk), Edie Martin (Miss Evesham), John Salew (Parkin), Ronald Adam (Turner), and Arthur Hambling (Wallis) Directed by Charles Crichton (#428 - A Fish Called Wanda)

Review:
At 81 minutes, this is a capable heist comedy that manages to be clever along with amusing. This movie (made in the United Kingdom) won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (now known as Best Original Screenplay), and it's not hard to see why; the heist elements are crafted at a good pace, with the scheme to do the heist (converting the bullion into paperweights) is handy, with the idea having been thought up by the filmmakers when conversing with the Bank of London. Guinness and Holloway make for a good capable duo, particularly when they are just forming their plan, with credit to their expressions and the way they handle their lines. James and Bass and fairly capable contributors, being pretty crafty and amusing as well. The rest of the cast is pretty decent, but the real fun is seeing the movie execute itself with its situations. This is a light fun film that moves at a ready pace and works magic out of being engaging and not having a dull moment at any time. The film uses its locations well, with the Eiffel Tower sequence being pretty clever and entertaining, especially with Guinness and Holloway laughing down the tower steps. The climax is handled quite well, having its share of thrills but also moments of hilarious moments; the framing device the film uses in the beginning to tell the story does not hinder the suspense too much of wondering if Guinness will get away with the loot because of how engaging the movie is. This is a film that is easy to recommend watching due to its cleverness and charm.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.