Henri Verneuil's fast paced thriller stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a burglar whose seemingly perfect emerald heist is tripped up by crooked cop Omar Sharif. Belmondo and crew are taunted, shot at, and endlessly pursued by the maniacal Sharif. Set in Greece, Verneuil infuses the film with a lot of energy and a number of classic touches: Sharif searching an amusement on horseback; Belmondo's toy factory hide-out; a very odd climax in a grain silo. Sharif & Belmondo have a lot of chemistry in several confrontations and the whole enterprise is enhanced by the presence of Dyan Cannon (as a stripper with a heart of anything BUT gold). Nicole Calfan is very good as a lovelorn teenager smitten with Belmondo and the supporting cast includes Robert Hossein. Great cinematography by Claude Renoir & a dynamite music score by Ennio Morricone. A excellent companion piece to Verneuil's THE SICILIAN CLAN.
Review of The Burglars
