When The Olsen Gang became a franchise, writers Bahs and Balling were quick to eliminate characters that were deemed unnecessary or simply didn't seem to make sense, in that the gang continues their adventures... gone are the hookers from Hansen's bar, Benny's fiancée Ulla and the two other kids in the Jensen estate... Børge remains, as the only kid of Kjeld and Yvonne. The acting starts to find a more grounded level, instead of always being so incredibly overplayed. Dynamite-Harry(portrayed by none other than Preben Kaas; who could possibly play a major drunk better than one who is(well, was... RIP) one, in real life?), Benny's hopeless drunk of a brother(who is, of course, very skilled in the use of explosives) is introduced. The series moves towards the great films that we have come to know it for. The humor is still mostly silly... still containing a few mix-ups, as well, though most of these are much funnier and so infrequent, they manage to surprise you(rather than annoy you, as got to be the case with those of the first). The plot is an interesting case; not so much for the writing itself(certainly not, it's quite pedestrian, not at all up to the level of some of the later films), but for how early the idea it presents came about in the series. The Gang going straight... no more crime... with the added twist that they are framed for a robbery they didn't(but certainly could have) commit. Added to the cast are now the well-known Ghita Nørby as the young, female social worker of Egon(who has a school-boy crush on her... illustrated by the seemingly angelic light that appears around her person many of the times he looks at her... believe me, it's funnier than it sounds) who helps the three "career criminals"(before Danish audiences knew and saw them as such) getting real jobs. Most of the jokes about about pornography are absent... as is the (let's face it) gratuitous half-nude women. In their place are more of the social commentary and satire that the first showed signs of, and that we know and love the later films for(along with the daring heists, the human touch and the energy). Authority is made fun of yet again(though less bombastically), and this time, German discipline and rehabilitation/psychology are thrown into the mix, too. Usually funny, and more often than not, hysterically so. This is also when the series start to feature longer films... the first was an hour and 20 minutes, this clocks in at not much less than two full hours. Arguably, much of this time could one do without... the scene at the bar featuring the gang, Harry and Mrs. Hansen, the social worker(and a scene or two immediately following it) is too long and could easily be cut without it detracting from the overall experience(opposite that, however, are the delightful scenes at the toy factory, which are among the funniest in the series). But this is still a step up. A step further away from the mediocrity of not only the first film, but most other Danish films of the period. It wasn't until later that this series really started to stand out, but this is still a step, and one in the right direction(it's always annoying when franchises start to step away from the path it really should stay on). A few key ingredients are still missing, and, overall, this film just isn't really much better than the first. It's still worth watching, at least to those who want to see how it all started. I recommend this to the biggest fans of the series and those who want to observe the roots of it. As a bonus, Poul Bundgaard shows off some of his talent as an opera singer in this film. Also, this has a fairly good amount of James Bond-ian gadgets... for anyone who enjoys seeing that in movies. 6/10
Review of The Olsen Gang in a Fix
