Small Time Crooks

Small Time Crooks is not a bad film, which, of course, does not mean it is a good film. it’s just so terribly mediocre, bland and pointless that one wonders why Allen made it at all. (21.06.2007)

Image gags so good that they surprised me, the first proper scoundrel Hugh Grant, and plenty of lines that absolutely compel to be quoted from time to time. A very audience-friendly film that shamefully went unnoticed in Woody's filmography. (26.12.2005)

Small Time Crooks belongs to the simpler, or rather straightforward, part of Allen's work, oriented more toward the public audience. Perhaps that is why it became Allen's most commercially successful film in the United States. It happened just in time because producers were slowly losing interest and critics were talking about a fading star, long past his prime. While Allen's films traditionally excelled in Europe, it was exactly the opposite with Small Time Crooks. Compared to his best works from the 70s and 80s, it is clearly a decline, but as part of his later work, it is a decent film that, thanks to its comedic, essentially popular theme, has a good chance of appealing to a wider audience. The inept thief with big ambitions is among Allen's most gratifying film roles, and Allen as an actor, I think, outperformed Allen the director and screenwriter this time. The lesser-known Tracey Ullman is also interesting as the contemptuous wife, a successful pastry chef dreaming of being accepted into "high society." In the second part, the film changes its theme and deals with the unexpected enrichment of typical members of the American "white trash" and their rise among New York's snobby elite. As a typical representative of the local intellectuals, Allen had this area well-mapped, having observed the behavior of the newly rich and jaded members of high society through his participation in various vernissages and social events. He found in Hugh Grant an actor who perfectly matched Woody Allen's idea of this social group. Overall impression: 70%. (25.11.2007)

Great fun, sometimes even touching. Woody Allen, in a slightly uncharacteristic role ("Brain?" - "That's what they called me!" - "That was sarcasm!"), traditionally doesn't fail, and he also has great partners by his side - especially female partners. Small Time Crooks is simply a hugely enjoyable comedy. But I liked The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, which is a year younger, even more. (03.05.2014)