That was an excellent one.

Really Surprised!

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Lots and lots of little touches, little moments and the comedy is handled as delicately. It takes a 'light touch' to make pastry and Monicelli, the beloved Italian director of comedies has that light touch. The beloved comedian Toto does a delicately nuanced turn as the master safe-cracker. Mastroianni sheds his glamour and is quite believable as a lowlife with a baby and wife in jail. The old man, Carlo Pisacane, reveals a great talent for comedy in this his best role.The 'loot' at the end of this 'Rififi' style caper is... a pot of leftover pasta and beans. And the crooks ENJOY the pasta. It is really very good, they are hungry from working hard to break through the wrong wall and that moment of gastronomic joy and fellowship, I understood something about life that a dozen serious movies never taught me.

After enjoying Mario Monicelli's La Grande Guerra, I decided to continue to discover more of his work, and I wasn't disappointed. I Soliti Ignoti, although in a completely different genre, is as funny and elegant as his WWI satire.I Soliti Ignoti is a send-up of caper movies. John Huston invented the caper in 1950 with The Asphalt Jungle, and Jules Dassin's Rififi reached its zenith in 1955. There was nothing new to do but to satirize the genre now.The movie involves a group of incompetent, small-time crooks and thieves coming together to break into a pawn store and steal the safe full of money and jewels. The movie follows this idiosyncratic group planning the heist and trying to overcome the adversities that come up unexpectedly; plus they have to deal with their own private lives.The characters are diverse and have their own little back story: there's Peppe, a failed boxer; Cosimo, a veteran thief who gives the criminals the idea for the heist, but ironically can't join them since he's in jail; there's Tiberio, raising his baby alone while his wife is in jail. And actor Totò plays a small but delightful role as an ex-criminal who gives lessons on how to crack safes.The movie is inventive, full of setbacks and unexpected change of plans, and the humor derives not so much from the dialogue but from the ridiculous situations and personal problems the crooks face. And the movie comes together perfectly at the end - it's unexpected but wholly convincing, even inevitable.Mario Monicelli and his screenwriters deserve a lot of praise for this little pearl of humor.

Two weeks ago, I had never even heard of Big Deal on Madonna Street. Now I consider it one of the very best, most enjoyable films I've ever seen. I loved it! The movie is essentially a spoof of the many Italian (and I like to think other European) heist films so common in the 1950s. Director Mario Monicelli and the many credited screenwriters nail the essence (and absurdity) of the genre perfectly. I actually found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion - and that's quite the accomplishment. While watching Big Deal on Madonna Street, I kept picturing the film Rififi in my mind and replacing the hardened, serious criminals in that movie with this bunch of misfits. It's pure genius. Fans of European heist films owe it to themselves to check out this movie.Other than the comedy, the acting is the highlight of the movie. Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Memmo Carotenuto, Renato Salvatori and the rest seem to perform effortlessly. It's a joy to watch such a talented cast. My only complaint with Big Deal on Madonna Street (and the only reason I didn't rate it a 10/10) is the way Claudia Cardinale's character is used. More Cardinale is always a good thing.

I suspect that it's hard to find this gem for rental purposes, which is a shame. A take-off on the classic French film noir, Rififi, it stands up wonderfully and deserves greater recognition. Monicelli is too little known as a director in the US, I think. Louis Malle attempted a remake of this some years back, to disastrous effect, and now there's a new attempt out, called "Welcome to Collinswood"; my hunch is that, while it might be better than the Malle version, it won't match the original. A group of bumbling small-time thieves plan and try to execute a heist, but nothing goes right. As the gang's leader, a punchy boxer with more attitude than ability, Vittorio Gassmann is wonderful, as is everyone else in the cast. Special notice should be given to the marvelous character comedian, Toto, and--in a small role, buried well down in the credits, the young Marcello Mastroianni. Also featured is another youngster, Claudia Cardinale. If you've seen Rififi, you'll find this comedy a particular joy. If you haven't, you'll like it, anyway. Why doesn't someone rerelease this?