User Reviews

Mr M.Winner is a living contradiction of the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity.As a result of what appears to be rampant and patronising snobbery,his image - boosted by his preposterous and bad - mannered antics as a so - called "restaurant critic" - is that of an arrogant,none -too - intelligent boor.His tabloid newspaper column was childish and spiteful,his current TV ads for a motor car insurance company are unspeakable.And yet it all could have been so different...... This former infant terrible of the British cinema is a Cambridge man.A measly 3rd - generally awarded to any entrant who gets his Candidate Number right-and an editorship of Varsity were his share of the glittering prizes.During his days running what was at the time the sole newspaper at the University,he discovered that there was no need for him to purchase - like the vast majority of his fellow undergraduates - a bicycle as the law,as defined in the Larceny Act which was in force at the time,clearly stated that in order to be convicted of stealing,a defendant had to have intended to keep the property which was the subject of the charge. Armed with the moral certainty of the larcenous at heart he proceeded to "borrow" bicycles as it pleased him . This was an important lesson for the young Winner,and one he remembered by the time he got round to making "The Jokers",as the whole plot of the movie revolves around that arcane point of English Law. The really sad thing about Mr Winner's decline into self - parody is that "The Jokers" is a very good film. Mr O.Reed and Mr M.Crawford are both outstanding as the brothers intent on "borrowing" the Crown Jewels.The whole production fizzes with fun and energy and plays its part in perpetuating the mainly mythical "Swinging Sixties" image of life in Upper Middle Class West London. The late Mr Reed was devilishly handsome and suave and determinedly ploughed the lonely furrow of the devoted follower of Bacchus until his untimely but hardly unexpected death during the making of "Gladiator". Mr Crawford,rather more cute and cuddly,is fondly remembered by many as the well - meaning simpleton Frank Spencer,source of a million bad impressions.Ultimately,of course,Mr Crawford found his true niche as a purveyor of Lord Lloyd - Webber's musical wallpaper.But all this was unimaginably far in the future.Watch their wide - eyed and innocent pleasure in the sheer joy of performing. They are ably assisted by a comforting list of sterling British Character Actors who have graced more movies than you could shake a stick at. A persuasive writer could put a case for the proposition that Mr Winner's career as a director peaked with "The Jokers".Certainly it is a work he might well wish to be remembered for rather than a lot of the stinkers he made to keep his wine - cellar stocked. Whatever one might say about him,there is no doubt that he had,and still has,chutzpah;any director that can actually direct Orson Welles - as he did in "I'll never forget whatshisname" - rather than just sit back and let him take over must at least have that. He may never have the need,financially,to make another film ,but I rather hope that,creatively,he can rustle up one last hurrah that will go some way towards restoring his reputation and diminishing the memories of the pot - boilers and duds that litter his CV.

.

"The Jokers" is an amusing comedy heist movie about two brothers who try to steal the Crown Jewels, in an attempt to prove their mettle and become world-famous. In between the heist-related fun and games the viewer gets to enjoy a satire about the Rich Young Twit, a certain human subspecies much given to idleness, mischief and lechery. In an average citizen this would be called bad behavior, but when a RYT does it it's called youthful high spirits.

Sadly, there's something about the ending that indicates a lack of care or inspiration. A better ending might have elevated "The Jokers" to classics status.

I've got serious doubts about the validity of one of the theories explained in the movie, to wit that the perpetrators of the heist would get off scot-free if they were to return the jewels immediately. To begin with, I doubt very much that the stealing of crown jewels (which, by their very nature, embody the power and prestige of a whole nation) would be classified in the same category as the stealing of a private citizen's bike. Secondly, what about the numerous other offences committed by the two brothers, such as building bombs, organizing a large-scale bomb scare, entering military bases under false pretenses, chloroforming a variety of human beings, vandalizing an historic building and generally wasting the taxpayer's dime ? And remember that we're talking about Great-Britain, with its profusion of recondite rules and traditions going back to a time when a failure to bow before a Beefeater's hat might land the miscreant in deep and dark trouble.

In conclusion : the more careful kind of robber might want to ask for a second legal opinion before making off with the Imperial State Crown.

Been reading the late Oliver Reed's authorized (by family, natch) bio, What Fresh Lunacy Is This? Ollie was England's pure film actor from the '60s and '70s, a star in his time. He got his start in Hammer horrors and was only a year away from international fame thanks to the Oscar® winning Oliver! (one of my all-time faves) when he made this comedic heist film with future schlockmeister Michael Winner. Almost impossible to see today, The Jokers is an interesting slice of swinging '60s Cool Britannia that's definitely worth a look (if you can find it). Michael Crawford and Reed play a pair of upper-class blokes in search of kicks. They decide to pull the biggest heist ever -- stealing the Crown Jewels of course -- and thanks to a loophole in English law, hope to get away with it by showing that they did not intend to "permanently deprive" the crown of its treasure. Of course this is precisely the type of movie that they could never get away with making these days. Crawford and Reed are really little more than "terrorists" blowing things up around London and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Amid the snappy music and freewheeling dialog, there's a twist ending. Everything moves at a hare's pace and although there aren't really any bellylaughs, the proceedings are light enough to entertain. Still awaiting a proper video release, bootleg videos exist taken from television airings. A pivotal step in Ollie Reed's rise to silver screen fame deserves better.

"The Jokers" is a cheerful, exuberant, amusing British comedy of the 1960s. It's full of bombs that hurt nobody, gore that isn't real, and stars Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed dashing through vibrant London in a mad plot to steal the Crown Jewels – and then return them. But younger brother "Michael" is also bent on revenge against his older brother David, played by Oliver Reed, who landed him in trouble often enough ... so David ends in prison, and Michael goes free, for awhile.

Michael's most recent escapade, aided and abetted by David, caused him to be expelled from Sandhurst, the British military academy for army officers. The plot calls for a bomb threat to the Jewels in the Tower of London to be taken seriously, hence some preliminary bombs are set in various locations, one of them even going off, a bit too close for comfort. Michael phones in the threats under the name "Red George", the mad bomber, while David constructs the devices, often contained in coffee pots.

The acting is excellent all round, with Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's earnest inspector Marryatt tracking the ubiquitous bombers – first the Albert Memorial, next the Stock Exchange ("about to be depressed") – and James Donald as the army's somewhat addled and befuddled Col. Gurney-Simms.

The DVD, obtained in August, 2006 from eBay, was apparently made from a very poor copy of the film. In some of the scenes the colors are too dark, and about an hour into the movie a vertical white line, which never completely goes away, appears in the center of the picture. There are other visual problems associated with old movies that have been run countless times. I don't know why it never seems to be shown as a TV movie, or why it's so hard to find.

Even though I knew the story and ending from reading "spoilers" this movie held my attention completely. The two main characters are clever boys, and the pace is mostly quick moving.

The interplay between David and Michael, the two brothers (played by Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford), is intriguing and amusing. This is a terrific movie and it should be released on DVD with a Michael Winner commentary.

I love 'Swinging London' movies ( real ones that is, not spoofs such as 'Austin Powers' ) and 'The Jokers' is a good example. It was directed by the much-maligned Michael Winner during what might be termed his 'golden age', the era of 'The System', 'You Must Be Joking!', 'Hannibal Brooks', and 'I'll Never Forget Whatsisname'.

Having been booted out of the army for cheating during a training exercise, Michael Tremayne ( Michael Crawford ) decides to get even with the British establishment by making an extravagant gesture, hence he and brother David ( Oliver Reed ) execute a brilliantly conceived scheme to steal The Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.

They plan to elude justice by leaving letters with solicitors stating that their intention was not to permanently deprive the Monarchy of their beloved trinkets ( apparently, this loophole in British law actually exists ).

The public takes the thieves to their hearts ( echoes of The Great Train Robbers ). But then something goes wrong. Unbeknowest to David, Michael did not submit his letter, leaving his brother to take the blame for the theft...

Though Winner came up with the basic idea, the script was penned by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, then fresh from their successful B.B.C. sitcom 'The Likely Lads'. There is little of the humour of that show here, but it is witty and engaging. In the aftermath of the robbery, various members of the public are interviewed by a television news reporter. One man says he is not sorry for The Queen as she can 'always put in an insurance claim'. A holiday maker ( Frank Finlay ) jokingly tells Customs officers that he has nothing to declare 'except the Crown Jewels'. But the joke backfires as the officers proceed to dismantle his car!

As the Tremayne brothers, Crawford and Reed are great. They are rich, good-looking, and popular with the débutantes so by rights you should hate them, but you do not. In fact you find yourself hoping they will get away with it. Surprisingly, the stars only worked together one more time - 1981's Walt Disney romp 'Condorman'.

Great supporting cast - James Donald as a dimwitted army colonel, Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's finest 'Inspector Maryatt', and Brian Wilde as his incompetent sidekick 'Sgt. Catchpole'. Warren Mitchell, Edward Fox, Daniel Massey, William Mervyn, and Julian Holloway are also in evidence.

The jokers preface their theft by staging a hoax bombing campaign in the London capital, credited to 'Red George'. Unfortunately, a few years later, bombs started going off there for real, courtesy of the I.R.A., hence it was a good thing this was made when it was.

Winner's brisk direction perfectly complements the amusing script and deft performances. There's also a lively soundtrack by Johnny Pearson.

My only complaint is that there was never a sequel: 'The Jokers Strike Again!' in which the Tremaynes go after the Mona Lisa!

Showed a world that I wish I was part of. People with looks, personality, style. Think Crawford should have been allowed to stay in the army-we did win, as he said!The kind of people who actually get things done. Brilliant all the way through. Would a sequel have been possible or was it just impossible to top?