Review of Take the Money and Run (1969) by Connor B — 03 Feb 2010

Woody Allen's debut feature film from 1969. It's packed with the various forms of comedy and cultural references that would later become his trademarks. A mixture of his classic slapstick and screwball style mixes nicely with some witty dead-pan narration, numerous visual gags, and effective parodies of standard crime documentaries. Accompanied by a very upbeat score by Marvin Hamlisch - which includes Quincy Jones' classic 'Soul Bossa Nova'.

Allen's screen presence clearly improved over the years - in this film, his dialogue and delivery do not pack the same punch that they achieved in his later work, but his talent for physical comedy is wonderfully demonstrated in his debut film. Fans of Allen will enjoy this movie.