Band of Honest Men, The (1956)

Also known as

La banda degli onesti

Lists

No lists yet!

Ratings & comments

full starfull starfull starempty starempty star

So this is what an Italian Ealing comedy looks like. Instead of a scheming Alec Guinness, we get Antonio Buonocore (the legendary comedian Totò), a residential building custodian. He does not set out to craft a nefarious plot; rather, shortly before learning that he will be forced out by the new owners, a tenant passes on the plates and paper he stole, long ago, when working at the mint.

The resulting "band of honest men" perpetrate their forgery, with predictably farcical consequences -- many of them deriving from the fact that Michele, Antonio's policeman son, is promoted to the anti-forgery squad.

Amusing, but didn't really work for me. The farcical elements are rather muted and I got the sense there was some Italian wordplay that did not translate.

- Sam - 2010-08-02 05:01:37