Diamonds

Implausible but mildly diverting crime caper directed by Menahem Golan a few years before he and cousin Yoram Globus gave the world Cannon Films and a its raft of bad '80s movies starring a young Chuck Norris, an old Chuck Bronson, and various and sundry break dancers and American ninjas. The film begins on a low note - a karate match featuring Robert Shaw as a pair of battling twin brothers, courtesy of special effects that would have embarrassed Patty Duke circa 1963. Things pick up when Shaw - along with Richard Roundtree as a master thief just of of prison and Barbara Hershey (going through her Seagull phase) as his sexy girlfriend - land in Israel, where the massive and elaborate diamond heist is to take place. The location filming in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere makes this film distinctive and watchable, even if it's never going to make anyone forget Topkapi, Rififi, or The Asphalt Jungle. Oh, and Shelley Winters shows up unnecessarily from time to time pretty much reprising her Poseidon Adventure role as a gregarious American yenta visiting Israel. Hardly a forgotten gem, but worth a look for fans of '70s cheese thanks to the cast and settings.