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!

This is one of the best crime caper movies of all time, but does anybody outside of the U.K. remember it? Another great but overlooked movie. I saw this when I was a kid and then again about 10 years ago on one of the T.V. movie channels. I taped it and if I could I'd copy it to DVD and distribute it freely. It's also one of the best comedies, not to mention a whodunit and a fab portrayal of swinging London circa 1967. Plot twists, betrayal, witty dialog and great characters. Michael Crawford is a genuine talent who appeared in two of my favorite movies: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Hello Dolly! He resurfaces back in the 80s as the Phantom of the Opera. Oliver Reed, is also one of the best. Together, they create the perfect sibling rivalry. Oh, the music is good too.They don't make movies like this anymore, do they?

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.

Two clever, but rebellious and anarchic upper-class brothers (Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford) plot the ultimate robbery - the theft of the crown jewels from the Tower of London and concoct what they believe is the perfect alibi; the trouble is, can they trust one another?Both are a couple of drifters from a highly privileged background and have been given the best in life, but they are bored and suffer from a superiority complex which means they think they are above the law and that winning is all that matters. The theft is a chance to cock a snook at the British establishment, of which they are a part, and to brag about it to their party-going 'hooray' friends, thus enabling them to become part of folklore for their generation. They believe they can get away with it so long as the jewels are returned to the Tower - and there lies the crunch. The opening scene shows the Crawford character being slung out of the army for breaking every rule in the book and circumnavigating the army's chain of command so that he can capture his objective on Salisbury Plain. The fact that he used his initiative is neither here nor there - he's a rebel with no ethics and that doesn't fit well with the British Army. In time of war, you need buccaneers like the brothers in order to win the day. They are straight out of sixteenth century tradition of Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh and this coincides exactly with the spirit of the hedonistic 'swinging sixties' where anything goes.The picture is tremendous fun and is well scripted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, two of the best screenwriters around. Michael Crawford didn't want to participate in the making of the film originally as he thought no-one would believe he could be Oliver Reed's brother. However, prior to filming, he met Reed's real-life brother who displayed an uncanny resemblance to Crawford and this made him change his mind. THIS MOVIE MUST BE BROUGHT OUT ON DVD NOW!!!