Crime Spree (Widescreen/Full Screen)

A bunch of entry-level criminals from France can't ever do anything right, so their boss sends them to Chicago for one last chance at a big job. This job goes worse than their previous work, and they find themselves at odds with the Chicago mafia (led by Harvey Keitel and Abe Vigoda) and a street gang.

The plot is not as twisted and surprising as other movies, but it's original as far as I can tell. You might guess at what is going to happen if you are one of those types trying to figure it out, but at least you won't feel like you are watching something you have already seen, and you will laugh all the way. On the other hand, people like me will be thrilled all the way.

The French thieves appear to be bumbling idiots at first, but despite appearances they get it together as the movie progresses, so don't expect non-stop slapstick humour. The laughs are sometimes in the more subtle situation-comedy moments. There are some tense and surprisingly violent scenes too. At times the script was clichéd ("you must either be brave or very stupid to be here") and I also felt like a better editor could have salvaged some of the jokes (and punchlines)...there were a few times where there were pauses before or after a joke that felt a bit too: oh i see, you want me to laugh now, right?. I also dislike the premise in movies, where everyone is a potential traitor (which is a cheap and easy way for allowing lots of plot twists to complicate things).

The DVD: Nothing except for the director & producer commentary, which is, by the way, very interesting. And I don't mean that in a good way. I advise you to NOT listen to the commentary, because you may suddenly notice a lot more flaws in the film that more seasoned directors (who, granted, probably would have bigger budgets) would have not let go unnoticed. The director/writer Brad Mirman is not a dumb guy, but he's clearly inexperienced and perhaps a bit too pleased with his (debut?) film -- ie. 'oh I love this next scene'.

Look past my complaints, this film has a fresh and funny approach on a tired (mafia & fish out of water) theme, with funny and inspired performances all round. Recommended.