8/10
A brilliant and fun parody about bank robbery sub-genre with portentous as well as likable characterizations
24 July 2015
A sympathetic group of unlucky bank workers carry out a heist with unexpected consequences . This is an amusing and funny comedy with several fun and hilarious set pieces , social critique on economical crisis , lots of laughters and many other things . It deals with a beloved group of characters , led by Fernando Galindo (Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez) who works in a bank and decides to execute a robbery . At the beginning the bank employees (Cassen , Gracita Morales , Agustin Gonzalez , Manuel Alexandre , Alfredo Landa) are reluctant but one day Galindo convinces the others in the bank to plan a hold-up in the office they are working . After firing the old bank director Don Felipe (Jose Orjas) , Galindo convincing definitively the others to join him and all of them decide to rob the bank . As soon as is appointed a recent manager bank , the clerks prepare everything carefully . They'll use replica guns , and all will be smooth and rapid . But events get worse , including the fact that they are suspects by the new bank manager director (Manuel Diaz) . However, real robbers come just before the fake ones .

This agreeable picture concerns a hold-up pulled off by a bunch of unfortunate as well as bungling people but things go awry . There are some nice jokes in the film and the cast , playing eccentric characters , make a cosy fit . It takes a simple concept , a peculiar robbing , being schemed , planned and proceeded by botcher people and in similar style to Italian classy ¨Rufufu¨ (1956) , a great Comedia all'Italiana by Mario Monicelli ; this latter was a brilliant parody to French production titled ¨Rififi¨(1956) by Jules Dassin . ¨Atraco a Las Tres¨ is a comical and sometimes disconcerting account of a bunch of middle-lower class people from the personal , social , cultural , and economic perspective , because needing all of them , urgently, amount of money to resolve their problematic lives . This film packs attractive images , strange situations , swift frames , twists and turns ; but it especially contains catching touches of humor and irony . Interesting as well as funny screenplay by prolific writers Vicente Coello and Pedro Maso who said in an interview that he wrote the script in 9 nights ; being mostly set into a bank office and adapted to Spanish characteristics by that time . The flick interweaves fun comedy along with a social criticism about the Spanish crisis of the sixties and a little bit of suspense and great amusement . This film is made to entertain , and this movie , especially for a good time and a pleasant entertainment . And it results in a highly original yarn , with a fine message , which is very-well delivered . The flick contains silly incidents , fun plot twists , tongue-in-cheek , grotesque situations and above all , humor . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly cool . This film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few ridiculous . The characters are quite odd , grotesque and geek and the film races on at incredible speed . Filmmaker Forque delivers an enjoyable comedy in which the main and support cast are frankly outstanding . The main attraction resides in its excellent cast in which stand out Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez as unforgettable Galindo , veteran Jose Orjas , sympathetic Cassen , moaner Gracita Morales , film debut of Alfredo Landa , among others .

The motion picture was stunningly directed by prolific filmmaker Jose Maria Forque . José María Forqué was born in Zaragoza , being father of actress Verónica Forqué and director Álvaro Forqué . He was a director and writer, known for filming some classic Spanish films , such as Accidente 703 (1962) , Amanecer en Puerta Oscura (1957) , Un Millon En La Basura and especially Atraco a Las Tres . And shot successful TV series : Miguel Servet and Ramon Y Cajal . He also filmed some international co-productions such as Tarot with Gloria Grahame , Mujer De Tierra Caliente with Stuart Whitman , Laura Gemser and El Ojo Del Huracan or In the eye of hurricane with Tony Kendall , Jean Sorel .

Ätraco a Las Tres¨ or international title : ¨Robbery at 3 O'clock¨ had various remakes and other films regarding this 1962 classic such as ¨El Palo¨ with Adriana Ozores , Carmen Maura , Malena Alterio and ¨Atraco a Las Tres... y Media¨ (2003) by Raoul Marchand with Iñaki Miramón as Galindo , Josema Yuste , Manolo Royo , Elsa Pataky , Neus Asensi , Chus Lampreave , Beatriz Rico , Marta Fernández Muro , Juan Fernández and again Manuel Alexandre
9 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed