The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

If proof was needed that Gower Champion should never be allowed on a film set again, this movie provides it. Based pathetically on Donald Westlake's second "Dortmunder" novel, it's so bad that the names had to be changed to protect the innocent. Dortmunder becomes Balantyne. Kelp becomes Karp. Scott's forced to operate with caterpillars glued over his own eyebrows, making him appear to be the love child of a Hobbit and Jerry Colonna. And everything that is laugh-out-loud funny in the novel is "please kill me now" awful here.While Robert Redford was terribly miscast in "The Hot Rock" (George Segal would have made the better Dortmunder), at least he was not strapped to the screenplay and director from hell as Scott was. The fans of Westlake still await a decent "Dortmunder," but hold out little hope. Walter Matthau, who would have smacked that role out of the park, is gone. But this is a case where you really want to hunt up the novel and never ever go near this film, drunk or sober.

Crusty criminal mastermind Walter Upjohn Ballantine (a marvelously grouchy performance by George C. Scott) breaks out of prison and devises a wild plan to rob a bank by stealing the whole building (!). The big gig goes off without a hitch, but the aftermath of said gig goes disastrously awry. Meanwhile, gruff, hard-nosed Warden Streiger (a deliciously broad portrayal by veteran character actor Clifton James) tries to nab Ballantine before he gets away. Director Gower Champion, working from a tight and witty script by Wendell Mayes, relates the engagingly wacky story at a constant zippy pace and maintains a properly zany tone throughout. The tip-top cast have a ball with their colorful roles: Scott keeps his dignity and a straight face amongst the loopy other characters, James chews up the scenery with lip-smacking gusto, ravishing redhead knockout Joanna Cassidy adds considerable sex appeal with her delightfully spunky turn as flaky'n'lusty financial backer Eleonora, plus there are nifty contributions by Sorrell Booke as Ballantine's bumbling partner Al G. Karp, Bob Balaban as Karp's eager beaver nephew Victor, Bibi Osterwald as the dotty Mums Gornik, Don Calfa as antsy driver Stosh Gornik, and Frank McRae as hot-tempered safecracker Herman X. Harry Stradling, Jr's crisp cinematography, John Morris' suitably quirky and lively score, a nice unexpected ending, and the overall infectiously goofy comic sensibility all further enhance the prevalent blithely silly charm of this immensely funny hoot.

Donald Westlake's Dortmunder are a terrific series of caper books about a career crook with bad luck. "Bank Shot" may very well be the best of the bunch, well the funniest anyway. But the movie fails on many levels.First off there's the casting, George C. Scott wasn't a horrible choice, if he had a good script he would have worked fine, Sorrell Booke wasn't the best choice, though i love to see him in something other than "The Dukes of Hazzard," Don Calfa is okay as the driver from the books, but Frank McRae was great as Hermman X.If you want to see a pretty good Dortmunder movie, watch "The Hot Rock" with Robert Redford or "Why Me?" with Christopher Lambert. Watch out of curiosity, at least its closer to the books than "What's the Worst that Could Happen?"

Can you imagine if some brilliant producer in 1971 decided 'Deliverance' would be 'better' if they changed Ned Beatty's character 'Bobby' to 'Bobbi' and cast Shelly Winters instead? And instead of going down a river in canoes they are going down the highway on motorcycles. And Bobbi's big squeeee-eeel takes place in a canyon off the highway thru Monument Valley! Or Could you imagine some Hollywood suit in 1972 coming up with the brilliant changes for 'The Exorcist': They make Father Karras struggling with his sexual repression and sexual identity having to face his demons before he acts upon them! Change Regan's character from a girl to a Scottish terrier, oh and, of course, get this: Change The Devil to Jesus Christ. 'Bank Shot' is a perfect example of what happens when novels are adapted to the screen...some 'writer' thinks they can improve a tried a true novel! Oh, here's a brilliant Idea for 'Good Fellas'! All the males are gay and they would substitute their acts of violence for acts of sex which is expressed rage at their fathers seed and for their fathers lack of affection and Love. The club they go to they attend in drag. Of course, all guns would be replaced with latex replicas of their manhood! The 'Clown Scene' would make it NC 17. 'Bank Shot' the novel has those lovable guys from 'The Hot Rock'; Dortmunder, Kelp, Greenberg, Stan Murch and his ma! But, they turned it into a campy, I don't know what. All the characters were so animated they didn't resemble anything Donald E. Westlake wrote.As far as a movie goes They pretty much kept the plot of (going by the book) Dortmunder and Co. stealing the WHOLE bank! This is screwball enough because the bank is under construction and the temp bank is a trailer as in a Trailer Home. They put it on wheels and drive off with it. They paint it in a football stadium, then move it to a trailer park, where the neighbor's sprinklers wash the wet the paint off...as the police are looking for the Bank! Having to move the trailer while (Kelp-the Locksmith) is trying to rack the safe with little success! They end up parking on the side of a desolate road on a hill and quickly making it look like a roadside café to provide coffee and donuts for the cops who are looking for the bank. George C.Scott does comedy very well, don't get me wrong. And I am sure his character was funny...but I was expecting John Dortmunder, not this Ballentine guy who who rips off Donald E. Westlake's immortal character John Dortmunder! Not my fav. Joanna Cassidy...how can ya NOT like the twinkle in her eyes right before she laughs! She jiggles when she laughs, ya know?! I just can n to help but laugh with her! She is contagious in this way! I believed her, at least that she was having fun! and now, 30 years later...be still my heart! She still twinkles and jiggles! and has become an accomplished actress! She does have a great body...of work!In closing, my final but philosophical pitch: 1972 Walter Hill and Sam Peckinpah adapted Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. Sam Peckinpah would direct; Mr. Hill-AD. I would pick Dustin Hoffman to play 'Duke'. I think George C. would have done a great job as 'Dr. GonZo' if 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was made in 1974, instead of this corny camp.1 star because of Joanne Cassidy! She is the ONLY reason worth watching this one.