By Lee Pfeiffer
Like most Anglo-European co-productions, the 1968 caper film They Came to Rob Las Vegas deserves plaudits for not using any subtlety in its title. You know instantly what it's about as the protagonists, well, they come to rob Las Vegas. The ring leader is Tony Ferris (Gary Lockwood), a casino craps dealer who uses his inside observations to organize an outrageous plot. The casino's daily monetary takes are hauled off to banks courtesy of seemingly impregnable armored cars owned by Skorsky (Lee J. Cobb), an obnoxious tycoon with mob connections who prides himself on the fact that his armored cars are unique in their design. Each one is a virtually Sherman tank with devices that automatically lock if any attempt to open the doors is detected. Inside the car are heavily armed guards who can live for an extended period of time (there's even a bathroom inside!). Additionally, the drivers can activate armor mechanism and machine guns from within the cab. Still, petty crook Ferris believes he has the perfect plan to knock off one of these trucks and capture the millions inside. He organizes a gang of crooks, each of whom has their own specialized talent, to literally kidnap the truck and secrete it in an underground hideaway in the desert. It goes without saying that there are some flies in the ointment and things don't go as smoothly as planned.
The film is engrossing to a point. Director Antonio-Isasi-Isasmendi does a good job of capturing the by-gone era when Vegas was truly the playground of the rich and depraved. There are great shots of by-gone legendary casinos adorned with headliners like Dean Martin and Louis Prima. Where the plot falls short is in the increasingly incredible leaps of fate the viewer has to take in order to believe the fantastic scenario. Still, there is plenty of action and Elke Sommer as the eye candy caught up in a love triangle between Ferris and Skorsky gets to saunter around, almost spilling out of some jaw-dropping fashions. As with most of these co-productions, American actors are interspersed with some badly dubbed supporting players. Jack Palace has a prominent role as a law enforcement agent trying to crack the case and his over-the-top performance is in laughable contrast to the play-it-straight acting styles of his co-stars.
The film's finale crosses the line into the absurd but getting there is half the fun. There are also obviously parallels to The War Wagon, which was released the year before. (i.e corrupt tycoon transports loot in seemingly indestructible vehicle only to have his plans compromised by a gang of clever thieves.) This movie isn't nearly as well crafted as that John Wayne-Kirk Douglas starrer, but any film that gives Lee J. Cobb a prominent role is worth seeing - and the additional compensations are the aforementioned shots of scantily-clad Ms. Sommer.
The Warner Archive DVD features a gorgeous transfer but is devoid of any extras- although it does retain the magnificent original poster art design on the sleeve.
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