A change of pace for the prolific Allen who dumbs down his traditional intellectual role, playing an ex-con dishwasher anxious to join his pals in a daft bank robbery scheme. Wife Frenchy, (Ullman) is enlisted to provide the ‘cover’: selling cookies in the leased shopfront above their lengthy tunnel. When, surprisingly, the gang becomes rich, Frenchy takes her new status very seriously, enlisting the aid of a suave art dealer (Grant) as a tutor in taste. A singeing commentary on the ultra materialism of contemporary America, Allen’s romantic comedy is itself enriched by greatly improved roles for its talented female actors. SMALL TIME CROOK will be preceeded by the following short film: THE DROP (Dir Hardeep Singh Kohli, UK 2000, 7 mins) A cold London night. Four guys in a car are on a mission. Tension mounts. Will they make the drop?
Small Time Crooks
Directed by Woody Allen