Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Trebaby Been reading the late Oliver Reed's authorized (by family, natch) bio, What Fresh Lunacy Is This? Ollie was England's pure film actor from the '60s and '70s, a star in his time. He got his start in Hammer horrors and was only a year away from international fame thanks to the Oscar® winning Oliver! (one of my all-time faves) when he made this comedic heist film with future schlockmeister Michael Winner. Almost impossible to see today, The Jokers is an interesting slice of swinging '60s Cool Britannia that's definitely worth a look (if you can find it). Michael Crawford and Reed play a pair of upper-class blokes in search of kicks. They decide to pull the biggest heist ever -- stealing the Crown Jewels of course -- and thanks to a loophole in English law, hope to get away with it by showing that they did not intend to "permanently deprive" the crown of its treasure. Of course this is precisely the type of movie that they could never get away with making these days. Crawford and Reed are really little more than "terrorists" blowing things up around London and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Amid the snappy music and freewheeling dialog, there's a twist ending. Everything moves at a hare's pace and although there aren't really any bellylaughs, the proceedings are light enough to entertain. Still awaiting a proper video release, bootleg videos exist taken from television airings. A pivotal step in Ollie Reed's rise to silver screen fame deserves better.

ShadeGrenade I love 'Swinging London' movies ( real ones that is, not spoofs such as 'Austin Powers' ) and 'The Jokers' is a good example. It was directed by the much-maligned Michael Winner during what might be termed his 'golden age', the era of 'The System', 'You Must Be Joking!', 'Hannibal Brooks', and 'I'll Never Forget Whatsisname'.Having been booted out of the army for cheating during a training exercise, Michael Tremayne ( Michael Crawford ) decides to get even with the British establishment by making an extravagant gesture, hence he and brother David ( Oliver Reed ) execute a brilliantly conceived scheme to steal The Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.They plan to elude justice by leaving letters with solicitors stating that their intention was not to permanently deprive the Monarchy of their beloved trinkets ( apparently, this loophole in British law actually exists ).The public takes the thieves to their hearts ( echoes of The Great Train Robbers ). But then something goes wrong. Unbeknowest to David, Michael did not submit his letter, leaving his brother to take the blame for the theft...Though Winner came up with the basic idea, the script was penned by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, then fresh from their successful B.B.C. sitcom 'The Likely Lads'. There is little of the humour of that show here, but it is witty and engaging. In the aftermath of the robbery, various members of the public are interviewed by a television news reporter. One man says he is not sorry for The Queen as she can 'always put in an insurance claim'. A holiday maker ( Frank Finlay ) jokingly tells Customs officers that he has nothing to declare 'except the Crown Jewels'. But the joke backfires as the officers proceed to dismantle his car! As the Tremayne brothers, Crawford and Reed are great. They are rich, good-looking, and popular with the débutantes so by rights you should hate them, but you do not. In fact you find yourself hoping they will get away with it. Surprisingly, the stars only worked together one more time - 1981's Walt Disney romp 'Condorman'.Great supporting cast - James Donald as a dimwitted army colonel, Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's finest 'Inspector Maryatt', and Brian Wilde as his incompetent sidekick 'Sgt. Catchpole'. Warren Mitchell, Edward Fox, Daniel Massey, William Mervyn, and Julian Holloway are also in evidence.The jokers preface their theft by staging a hoax bombing campaign in the London capital, credited to 'Red George'. Unfortunately, a few years later, bombs started going off there for real, courtesy of the I.R.A., hence it was a good thing this was made when it was.Winner's brisk direction perfectly complements the amusing script and deft performances. There's also a lively soundtrack by Johnny Pearson.My only complaint is that there was never a sequel: 'The Jokers Strike Again!' in which the Tremaynes go after the Mona Lisa!

teelbee Even though I knew the story and ending from reading "spoilers" this movie held my attention completely. The two main characters are clever boys, and the pace is mostly quick moving.The interplay between David and Michael, the two brothers (played by Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford), is intriguing and amusing. This is a terrific movie and it should be released on DVD with a Michael Winner commentary.

Oro-Indiano I remember when I was about 5 years old I saw a film about two soldiers who steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Latterly, I didn't remember much about it (obviously) or even what it was called, only that I loved it. So I was pleasantly surprised recently, when I stayed to watch the late movie on telly one night and it all came flooding back...Quite why I would have loved "The Jokers" so much when I was five is beyond me, as most of the humour would have probably gone straight over my head. I must have loved the ingenuity of the brothers' scheme and the twists at the closing stages. But then, this movie is so incredibly easy to like - it rattles along at a cracking pace with a deftness of touch not usually associated with Michael Winner, it looks like a tourist film of London, it's a pleasing thriller, and it's pretty funny to boot. There are some priceless lines, including a couple which only an Englishman could find funny. And of course you have two great central performances, from the sterling Michael Crawford, and Oliver Reed.There are many advances in technology which would render crucial details of the plan unworkable today, making the movie very much a product of its times; but baby, what times! The Swinging London of the late 60s, as so affectionately sent up in the "Austin Powers" flicks, is presented here as decadently appealing, if shallow, an endless round of booze and birds. If there's any sour note it is that the "system" which the brothers want to ridicule seems to have been very kind to them along the way. But it's hardly a film to be making profound political statements, so one can't complain. Instead just sit back and enjoy this superbly entertaining little gem, as much fun now as it was when I was five years old!(9/10)