Wow! Such a good movie.

What a waste of my time!!!

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Blistering performances.

As famous as this movie is supposed to be, I don't really recommend watching it. Chances are, you'll only be watching it because you like Frank Sinatra and want to join the Rat Pack, but if you manage to sit through this two-hour debacle, you'll try to withdraw your membership application.To put it simply, everyone involved in this movie was having a really bad day. The songs, written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen, were unspeakably awful and universally too slow in tempo. The one famous song to come out of it, "My Kind of Town", felt like it had been slowed down by fifty percent. Dean Martin, though never accused of being a good actor, looked like he didn't know what was going on and that he could barely remember the minimal choreography. And if Sammy Davis, Jr. can't sell a song, nobody can. During the one horrible song he was given, he looked like he was giving a Jerry Lewis impression. Finally, Frank Sinatra, who once was full of pep and vigor as he tap danced alongside Gene Kelly, looked incredibly tired and angry. In nearly every scene, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. I wondered what could have happened to him during the filming, since it was obvious his mind was elsewhere, and after the film was over I read the backstory behind his very noticeably grumpy performance. I'm sure if you read up on the film as I did, you'll cut him some slack.Robin and the 7 Hoods takes place during the 1920s, and Frank Sinatra and Peter Falk head up rival factions of a Chicago gang. While Frankie has the Rat Pack on his side, Peter has classic old timers like Harry Wilson and Allen Jenkins at his table. The best part of the film is the beginning, when the gang celebrates the birthday of gang-leader Edward G. Robinson. It really is a great five minutes, but the movie tumbles downhill immediately after that.

Is this some lame attempt to melt GOING MY WAY onto GUYS & DOLLS? The drama kids at my high school could have written a script more plausible than this mishmash. Half the characters end in in building cornerstones?! Is that supposed to be funny? Maybe Jimmy Hoffa is laughing somewhere in the foundations of a freeway overpass, but he's about the only one. And the bimbo who's trying to seduce all the guys? I wouldn't touch her with a 10-foot pole. She's like, "oh, you just whacked my dead old dad, so let's do it - - now!" Mata Hari would be more fun. The songs here are really forgettable; this might have been excuse if offered with a B cast in the 1930s, but what a waste of Rat Pack time. In you add some crappy songs to Expendables 2, you would have a much better flick than Robin and the 7 Hoods.

I'll be honest in saying that I was really looking forward to seeing this one. I guess I was expecting another Ocean's 11 type of film and boy, I didn't get it. Basically U get half Ocean's 11 and half a musical. I think their train of thought on this one was to try 1 last time to bring back the musical into the 60's (w/ Bing singing and sammy and frank and deano) and it just wasn't very interesting. I though Peter Falk stole the whole show. If U want vintage Rat Pack stuff, see either Sergeants 3 or Ocean's 11 cause this one is from a bygone day of musical comedy/crime, and those just never worked. Let's just say it's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back...dammit.

...no, but that might have made a more interesting picture than this. It's Prohibition-era Chicago, and Frank Sinatra coasts indifferently through his role as a gangster in 1928 trying to stay one step ahead of the law, aided by his faithful cronies. Sappy semi-musical doesn't even look good! It's a poor excuse to get the gang together. Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. are joined this time by Bing Crosby, Edward G. Robinson (uncredited), Victor Buono and--in the proverbial pretty girl role--Barbara Rush. Yet everyone here seems to be either distracted or suffering from a bad case of the blues, particularly Ol' Blue Eyes, who looks wrung-out. The film's only kick comes in seeing Crosby and Sinatra reunited from "High Society", and by Peter Falk doing lively work in a dim part. *1/2 from ****