I rented the movie based on several recommendations that it was a superb (perhaps the best) heist movie, including Roger Ebert's remarks in his review of The Score. I found the movie pace lagged a lot in the middle, and I found the events after the in-bank theft scene unpleasant (the movie as a whole was darker than I had expected). The main theft scene was well-done, and the technical wizardry of the thieves quite impressive (particularly given the 1967 production date). I liked a few of the characters, the heist scene, and that was about it. Several of the characters were eminently dislikable, the Rio culture scenes were irritating, and the movie lacked two things vital to a heist caper: a very tight plot, and a likable cast of characters who make you root for them to succeed. Without giving too much away, there was one plot element in the last third of the movie that I found too deus-ex-machina for my liking. Rent *Sneakers* instead, or read any of Donald Westlake's superb Dortmunder heist novels, for the good stuff.
Review of Grand Slam
