In this caper movie there are lots of bonafide scenes , comedy , action , tongue-in-cheek and twisted intrigue . An American gangster (Harry Guardino) and his girlfriend (Senta Berger) in Italy enlist a local gang led by Armanduccio 'Dudù' Girasole (Nino Manfredi) and his hoodlums (Pinuccio Ardia , Ugo Fangareggi, Ralf Wolter , Totò as Don Vincenzo, among others) to help him steal the treasure of Naples' patron saint. Winner of the Naples Crime Festival . They planned a crime so perfect that only a miracle could stop it and did. There's no crime like the present. .
This fun flick displays suspense , giggles , slick and not-so-slick criminals , gorgeous dames and results to be very bemusing . From the beginning until ending the good mood and humor is continued . The plot is very amusing and the final has got an extraordinary surprise . Delightful and enjoyable are the perfect words to describe this film . One of the best Italian intrigue/caper movies ever made along with ¨Rififi¨ by Mario Monicelli , ¨Seven Golden Men by Marco Vicario , its sequel : "Seven Golden Men Strike Again¨ and adding the classic ¨Topkapi¨ by Jules Dassin . The highlight and great climax , of course , is the heist which is developed with imposing tension , hilarious scenes and intrigue . This picture along with ¨Topkapi¨ created during the 60s and forward an authentic genre . This decent film deals with a bungling team of robbers undertaking a hard mission and at the same time it describes the Italian reality by that time . It's a comedy/satire with surprising finale and one of the best Italian comedies of the 60s . The picture does a perfect portrayal of the main roles and well accompanied by a charming support cast . The personality of hustler Nino Manfredi/Armanduccio is special , he's a crook who has failed at everything , as he spends all his time planning swindles and mistreats his gorgeous sweetheart , Claudine Auger, as she serves as counterpoint to his disconcerting personality . Other characters are magnificently interpreted by the American mobster Harry Guardino , bombshell Senta Berger and Totó playing in his usual style .
All the screenplay develops a gentle humor but steady, which does to maintain the smile throughout the movie while showing a portrait of a wonderful Naples of the 60s , which includes the sensational musical score by Armando Trovajoli , including some traditional songs , and other sounds of those years, happy and funny . Furthermore , an evocative and colorful cinematography by cameraman Aldo Tonti . It is a motion picture in which I have entertained a lot, a great wisdom of its director and writer Dino Risi along with others as actor/writer Nino Manfredi himself , Baracco and prolific Ennio De Concini . Risi is an expert on ¨Comedia allá Italiana¨, such as he proved in ¨How funny can be sex?¨, ¨Tiger and the pussycat¨, ¨Scent of a woman¨ that had an American remake with Al Pacino , Chris O'Donnell and , of course , ¨The easy life¨ or its original title ¨Il Sorpasso¨, a tragic-comedy that achieved a big success. This fast moving , intrigue thriller yarn titled Operazione San Gennaro (1966) will appeal to comedy enthusiasts and robbery genre fans . Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable , though uneven Napolitan comedy . Well worth watching .
