The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968)

Fantastic!

Dreadfully Boring

Absolutely amazing

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

TITLE: THE BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL was release in theaters in the United States on July 17 1968. The Biggest Bundle of Them All is a 1968 American crime film set in Napoli, Italy. The story is about a mobster and a novice gang of crooks who team up to steal $5 million worth of platinum ingots from a train. The film stars Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch and was directed by Ken Annakin.SUMMARY: The movie opens with a funeral where Cesare Celli is morning one of his oldest and dearest friends. As Celli is walking away from the funeral, he starts talking about the old days. Ethers Harry who along with four other guys has a car waiting for Celli. Celli gets into the car with Harry and they tell Celli there taking him home. However, Celli realizes that there going the wrong way. Enters Julianna who is Harry's girlfriend. With them all in the car, Harry has them stop at a very usage house. After Harry gets Celli inside the house, he demands money from Celli. Harry has money problems including some bad habits and Julianna expensive taste. Harry tells Celli he wants 50 thousand dollars and he wants it in cash. When Celli tells him, he doesn't have the money Celli tells Harry to call the states. Harry calls the states only to have the person hang up on him. Therefore, Celli makes the phone call only to find out that the person he needs to talk to has passed out on his bed. So when that fails Celli gives harry a list of names to go visit so he can get his 50 thousand dollars. After Harry makes his visit he finds out that Celli his a worthless bum and nobody had good things to say about him and no one wanted to help Celli. Therefore, Celli decides to turn Harry and his friends into his own mob. Harry and Celli agree that whatever job they do that the split will be 60-40. Cell tells the gang not to bother him until after breakfast the next Moring. Harry is very confident that him and Celli can work together. The next day Celli takes his new gang to see an old friend QUESTIONS: What kind of background did the Professor have? Who was the Professor? What did Celli and the Professor have in mind? How did Celli get to know the Professor? What did the Professor pass around? What problem did Harry have with the Professor plan? Who was riding in the boat? Who did Celli walk in on? Who was shooting at Celli and why? MY THOUGHTS: I thought this movie was boring for the simple fact that it was filmed in Italy. There was no action or drama in this movie the kind that kept your interest through the entire movie. That was the bad part of this movie. Now the reason why to watch this movie. Raquel Welch! She was gorgeous in this movie There were four particular scenes in this movie involving Raquel that you can't miss. The first was when she was dancing around the patio in here pink pantsuit. The second scene is when she comes running out of the ocean in her orange bikini. The third scene is when she dancing on the beach in her orange bikini and the fourth is when she shows up to Celli wearing a blue nightgown. Because of the lack of action and drama, I would give this movie 5 weasel stars. However, because of Raquel Welch and her talent and her gorgeous body I give this movie 10 weasel stars. You can get this movie at Amazon.com

Following his role in the fine caper SEVEN THIEVES (1960) – which I’ve watched several years back – Edward G. Robinson seemed to be stuck playing elderly criminal mastermind types (apart from the odd juicy role as in THE CINCINNATI KID [1965]). I’d previously watched the pretty good “Euro-Cult” effort GRAND SLAM (1967) and, apart from this, I’ve yet two more similar titles from Italy to check – one of which was directed by future goremeister Lucio Fulci! Anyway, this is the kind of international production – featuring American and Italian actors and a British director – which was prevalent during the 1960s; it’s harmless and easy-going in itself but hardly memorable and definitely overlong – especially since to procure finance for the heavy-duty equipment required for the heist (such as an army tank and an airplane!), the gang involved have to pull a variety of minor thefts first.The gang, of course, is an incompetent lot led by an American (Robert Wagner) and his bimbo girlfriend (Raquel Welch) – the others are a ‘pacifist’ black man, a perennially hungry Italian and a diminutive Englishman. They try to induce an ex-gangster (Vittorio De Sica) to turn over his fortune to them, except he’s destitute…but, under the auspices of “Professor” Robinson, he proposes instead a caper of 5 million dollars’ worth of platinum! Needless to say, the gang members don’t trust one another (Wagner instructs Welch to seduce De Sica so as to get the name of their fence in Morocco – where they are to retreat after the robbery), or else bungle the job (commissioned to hold up a restaurant, the Italian can’t resist sitting at table and order a multi-course meal for himself!). Amusingly, in the face of similar failures, De Sica tries to show them how they used to do it in the old days – however, ostensibly holding up a petrol station, it transpires that the owner is a nephew of his and he merely asked to borrow some cash! The central heist sequence is typically elaborate: while the gang, including Welch, ‘take’ the train transporting the platinum, Wagner kidnaps pilot Victor Spinetti and his airplane. When the job is done, he fully intends to double-cross De Sica – but neither his partners nor Welch herself are willing to go along with this, so he’s forced to relent. Coming from the time when crime didn’t pay, the gang contrives to lose all their stash in mid-air when the plane’s bomb-bay doors are accidentally opened…

I don't go for that many "heist" comedies, and I might not care for this one if it weren't for the actors, when it was made, and when I FIRST SAW it (just a few years later). It's almost too similar to "The Happening" (even though it's obviously a much less serious comedy than that one) - Mafia figure takes over his own kidnapping, or rather, turns it in a different direction altogether. Of course, Raquel Welch didn't play the kind of sharp character Faye Dunaway did in The Happening, but that doesn't make it a sexist film either - she was practically playing a stock character, almost HER version of a "moll"! But, I'm completely biased - it's among the first films I ever saw with her, and at the time I saw it, you couldn't turn around without seeing a poster of her (luckily). I think Robert Wagner was really just right as the neither thoroughly likable nor dis-likable leader of the group, as were Edward G. Robinson (naturally) and Vittoria De Sica. And Godfrey Cambridge, an actor who always managed to be funny.

Not a truly funny movie, but it is amusing. Watching Robert Wagner acting tough is very amusing. Of course there is Raquel in all her splendor. Watching her go-go with Edward G. Robinson (!) is worth the price of admission alone. The supporting characters do the best they can with the cartoon characters they are given to enact. And you get to watch Godfrey Cambridge play the violin!