The Lady Killers
Rating: 8/10
Running Time: 97 minutes
UK Certificate: U
On DVD
Is it any wonder the Coen brothers were so keen to get their mitts on the rights to remake The Ladykillers? Sure, its dated (its tough not to be at nigh-on 50 years old) and it often feels more like watching a stage production than an actual movie but it sure is enjoyable.
Arguably the last proper Ealing Comedy, it throws us merrily back to a time before the genre was taken over by the Jim Carreys and Adam Sandlers of this world. Its about a gang of gentleman crooks, led by a buck-toothed and pasty-faced Alec Guinness (the voice, of course, is a dead giveaway), who use a sweet old granny (Kaitie Johnson) as a pawn in their scheme to steal £60,000 from a couple of security vehicles.
All goes to plan when the doddery old bat unwittingly plays her part for the men she thinks are humble musicians but, when she finally catches on to whats happening, our thieves are left with a problem. And, as a clue to what the problem is, its pink and wrinkly.
This marvellous caper is directed by Whisky Galore! helmsman Alexander Mackendrick and features among its cast Peter Sellers in his first major film role and, even better, Frankie Oooooooooooh ooooooh ooh oooooh-oooooh ooh, shut yer face missus Howerd punching a man over a horse and committing GBH on a parked car.
How the modern day version (with Tom Hanks taking Guinness place) will show up in comparison remains to be seen, but it certainly has the sort of plot-driven simplicity that should make it relatively easy to adapt to any era. Regardless of how Messrs Coen and Coens update turns out, the original remains a great slice of comedy to be enjoyed over and over again.
It's Got: Large instruments.
It Needs: A new gramophone.
DVD Extras Just a trailer. DVD Extras Rating: 1/10
Summary
A film to give you a nice Ealing all over.