Is Statue?

Introduction

My name is Michael Caine. And I'm 'ere to nick yer statue.

A classic 1960s heist, featuring Sir Michael Caine as another loveable rogue. This time he plays Harry Dean, a good old fashioned "cat burglar". His mission is to steal a priceless statue of an Asian princess from the world's richest man (played by Herbert Lom). To pull off this little scam, he needs to enlist the help of a lookalike, in the form of waitress Suzy Chang (Shirley Maclaine). Thankfully, she looks just like the late wife of said richest man, and that aforementioned statue. All the required  elements for Harry Dean's little caper are in place.



Surely nothing could go wrong...

Video and Audio

A pretty good 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is on offer, all perfectly acceptable for a 43 year old film.



A good DD2.0 soundtrack to accompany the visuals. Nothing to complain about, and it gives you the chance to listen to Maurice Jarre's rather stereotypical soundtrack. That's not really a criticism, it's just all a bit obvious to the modern ear...

Extra Features

Just the one, but worth the effort, a full length commentary from the film's director Ronald Neame. Interesting to have and interesting to hear.

Conclusion

I can start my conclusion with a quote from the film's director Ronald Neame, who during the opening of the commentary track announces that he would "cut 20 minutes out of it". And that would certainly be welcome. That's not to say that it's a bad film, far from it. It's a classic Caine heist.



As with any film featuring Michael Caine, I watched this film because he's in it. I think that he's a great actor and it's a pleasure to watch him at work. Shirley Maclaine is not someone that I enjoy watching all that much (what is it with Caine and leading ladies - the last film of his that I watched had him opposite Demi Moore). However, she works well in this film, given the journey that her character goes on. Apparently, Maclaine chose Caine to star in this film after seeing him in Alfie.

It's not a groundbreaking film, it's not full of suspense, it's just a bit of classic 1960s fun. Buy this if you like watching Michael Caine, if you like light comedy/heist films, or if you just fancy a trip down memory lane.