Grand Slam
These men are in... for the crime of their lives.
Professor James Anders is a seemingly mild-mannered teacher, an American working in Rio De Janeiro. Anders, bored with years of teaching, decides to put together a team to pull off a diamond heist during the Rio Carnival. Four international experts are brought together to carry out the robbery: a safe cracking expert, a master thief, a mechanical genius, and a playboy.
Status
Released
Original Language
EN
Budget
—
Revenue
—
Release Date
September 28, 1967
Popularity
1
Director
Giuliano Montaldo
Writer
Mino Roli
Writer
Marcello Coscia
Producer
Arrigo Colombo
Producer
Giorgio Papi
Where to Watch
Cast
Janet Leigh
Mary Ann
Robert Hoffmann
Jean-Paul Audry
Klaus Kinski
Erich Weiss
Riccardo Cucciolla
Agostino Rossi
George Rigaud
Gregg Hutchinson
Adolfo Celi
Mark Milford
Edward G. Robinson
Prof. James Anders
Jussara
Setuaka
Miguel del Castillo
Manager
Luciana Angiolillo
Valentino Macchi
(credit only)
Anny Degli Uberti
Aldo Bonamano
Mary Ann's Boss
Fulvio Mingozzi
Milford's Thug (uncredited)
Gallery
Reviews
JPV852
Entertaining heist-thriller with fine performances from all involved (would've liked seeing Edgar G. Robinson more but all in all was engrossed with the heist itself and the twist or two. Not sure if it ranks high amongst others in the genre (Ocean's Eleven is the top of my list) but still well worth checking out. **3.75/5**
CinemaSerf
This is a surprisingly good little crime drama that has been largely forgotten since 1967 - which is a bit of a shame. Edward G. Robinson is a retired professor 'Anders" who assembles a rather disparate gang in order to execute the most fantastic of heists, from a seemingly impregnable vault, that will leave them the proud owners of $10m in diamonds. His meticulous, almost "League of Gentlemen" (1960) , planning accounts for every detailed aspect of the security around these jewels, and the execution of this part of the plot is (safe) cracking. As usual with most robbery stories, the plot seems to peter out after the criminal denouement, and sadly the ending is just a little to predictable. Good efforts from Klaus Kinski, Robert Hoffman and Janet Leigh as the duplicitous "Mary Ann" - alongside some really innovative use of some shaving foam - keep it enjoyably paced, and quite a bit better than average. The score is quite annoying, and the dialogue could do with just a shade of tightening up, but it's a good looking enjoyable escapade that I rather enjoyed.
