"Harry and Walter Go to New York" is a film which had a very troubled production. The film went massively overbudget and nearly bankrupted the studio. In addition, the final product was heavily edited...very heavily edited.
Harry and Walter (James Caan and Elliott Gould) are two lousy vaudeville performers and bumbling criminals. After they are sent to prison, they strike up a friendship with a well-mannered gentleman crook, Adam Worth (Michael Caine). But they are so stupid they ending destroying Worth's plans for an upcoming bank robbery...and now Adam hates them. Somehow, the pair manage to escape from prison and when they realize they have a photo of the plans, Harry insists they do the bank robbery instead. The problem is that they are bumbling idiots! And so, with the help of a strange woman and her friends, they intend to clean out this supposedly impossible to rob bank.
The film has many problems...despite some fine actors. Harry and Walter's characters are too one dimensionally stupid...a big problem. Additionally, while these are good actors, they aren't funny actors. Even worse is the lady played by Diane Keaton, as she makes no sense at all and seems as if her part was written by randomly pulling plot elements out of a hat! The only one in the cast who comes out well is Caine...and he's terrific. Overall, a mess of a film that is watchable but not much more...which is amazing as heist films are practically guaranteed to be terrific.
Harry and Walter (James Caan and Elliott Gould) are two lousy vaudeville performers and bumbling criminals. After they are sent to prison, they strike up a friendship with a well-mannered gentleman crook, Adam Worth (Michael Caine). But they are so stupid they ending destroying Worth's plans for an upcoming bank robbery...and now Adam hates them. Somehow, the pair manage to escape from prison and when they realize they have a photo of the plans, Harry insists they do the bank robbery instead. The problem is that they are bumbling idiots! And so, with the help of a strange woman and her friends, they intend to clean out this supposedly impossible to rob bank.
The film has many problems...despite some fine actors. Harry and Walter's characters are too one dimensionally stupid...a big problem. Additionally, while these are good actors, they aren't funny actors. Even worse is the lady played by Diane Keaton, as she makes no sense at all and seems as if her part was written by randomly pulling plot elements out of a hat! The only one in the cast who comes out well is Caine...and he's terrific. Overall, a mess of a film that is watchable but not much more...which is amazing as heist films are practically guaranteed to be terrific.