oOoBarracuda In the style of faux-documentary which would be used with varying success all over cinema, Woody Allen's 1969 film, arguably his first true directorial feature chronicles the life of Virgil Starkwell, the always struggling inept thief. Virgil's incompetence plays out on the screen through complete hilarity. Woody Allen's grasp of comedy was evident in his earliest features proving the talent of the iconic director. I have endured the early features of many directors and rarely are they as good as Allen's Take the Money and Run. I have even grown used to the notion of knowing I'll have to slog through many subpar films before getting to the gems of my favorite directors, with Allen, though, no such notion exists. As we follow Virgil, played by Woody Allen, through his attempt at a music career and his obsession with bank robberies, we see the quick- witted dialogue and brilliant comedic gags now synonymous with Allen's work. Don't skip Take the Money and Run, there is enough essential Woody Allen contained in this early gem to last a lifetime.

SmileysWorld I will give Woody Allen credit for being very adept at the art of slapstick comedy,and this film is loaded with many a laughable moment.What I can't seem to escape is Mr. Allen always almost always has to throw his disbelief of God in our faces by mocking God in some way.After having seen a few of his films now,I'm getting a little fed up with that aspect.We get it,Woody.You don't believe in God,and you find it laughable that there are people who do believe.I would call this a good film if I could get past that point,but I can't,and it's a shame,because Woody Allen could easily be placed in the same class as the Marx Brothers when it comes to his talent.He probably is put in that class by many,but certainly not by me.

ElMaruecan82 "After fifteen minutes I wanted to marry her, and after half an hour I completely gave up the idea of stealing her purse."This is intelligently nonsensical and brilliantly absurd, in other words: it's 100% pure Woody Allen, here in his earliest display of a promising comical genius in the pivotal year of 1969. Through "Take the Money and Run", Woody reinvents humor by combining the heritage of the pioneers: Keaton and Chaplin's slapstick, the irreverent wisecracks of the Marx Brothers, the outrageousness of Mel Brooks and even the social commentary of stand-up comedy with a little something incarnated by that funny-looking geeky face that would become an icon of American comedy, and an inspiration for the new generation."Take the Money and Run" is both a tribute to the pioneers and an inspiration for the newcomers.The film strikes by a smart novelty: it is constructed like a TV mockumentary chronicling the life of Virgil Starkwell, a criminal whose empathy-builders (or redeeming qualities) are his total ineptitude as a bank robber and jail escapist and a tender romance with the beautiful Louise, played by the late Janet Margolin. The film features many interviews of people who played a significant part in Virgil's life, most notably his shameful parents who wear Groucho Marx masks to remain anonymous, a running gag that pays like a tribute to the spirit that most nourished Allen's inspiration. So yes, it's about the geeky neurotic loser who is to Allen what the "Little Tramp", was to Chaplin: a defining character. And the prologue of the film works, a posteriori, like Allen's perfect introduction to Cinema, as an actor/director/writer (although he shares the latter honor with a guy named Mickey Rose).And if the direction seems to lack the confidence that would grow from one decade of cinematic experience, amusingly, it drives more than it undermines the quality of the film.The advantage of a debut is to have nothing to be compared with and a certain freedom of mistakes and Allen handles this like someone aware of where he's going at … not necessarily with this film, but with the whole comical material he uses. The film can even be subtitled "Everything You Wanted to Know About Woody Allen" as it features whatever will forge his touch in the future: the slapstick of the early 70's, the introspective character studies of the 70's/80's, the romances dealt with a tender poignancy, and a writing that would have made Groucho Marx extremely proud. I concede that by trying to be everything, the film feels like it doesn't have a way and might have damaged the appreciation of many critics, including Roger Ebert, who didn't think much of Allen's debut (although he never denied his comedic talent) but if I can mention the editing as the technical alibi that saved the film from being an objective mess, I don't think it really matters since every scene works by itself with the same effect as from a good sketch.On the surface, "Take the Money and Run" is like "Monty Python's Flying Circus" only telling a story with a clear narrative structure.Indeed, each scene works independently as a sketch: one involves the classic bank robbery where everyone points out spelling mistakes, a hilarious escape attempt with a gun made of a bar soap during an unfortunate rainy night, Allen getting ready for a date and trying to look handsome in front of his mirror (clumsily maneuvering his glasses), before a visually hysterical conclusion. And the romantic core driven by Virgil and Louise consolidates what would have felt like a simple assemblage of comic vignettes. Janet Margolin is by the way one of the highlights of the film, as it's impossible not to be mesmerized by her breath-taking beauty and thanks to her interaction and sweetness with Virgil, the film manages to touch our hearts. There are of course other elements that structure the film such as the running gag of people constantly breaking Allen's glasses, and the music, which remains for me one of the most memorable from a Woody Allen's film (along with "Love and Death" and "Hannah and her Sisters".So, on the surface, "Take the Money Run" is structured by as series of failures that elevates Virgil's status as an endearing loser, constantly bullied and yet getting the beautiful girl and making her so nervous she stutters.But on the content, the film speaks much larger statements about the birth of a new talent for American Cinema, defining Cinema as the ultimate nerd's escapism, at least one Virgil succeeded in.Notice how till the end, Virgil becomes more confident, getting ready to spend time in jail, Virgil talks to a journalist while preparing a gun of soap and discussing his hobbies then he suddenly interrupts the flow of his answer and asks if it's raining out, the image freezes and the music comes back, providing a weirdly thrilling sensation as if the film was Allen's message to Cinema, a hymn for all the nerds who try to escape their miserable condition through talent and perseverance. For Virgil, it's robbery, for Allen, it's comedy, and "Take the Money and Run" might not the be the funniest or the most successful film but it sure paved the way to "Bananas", "Love and Death" and less than a decade after, a Best Picture winner. And Virgil perfectly mirrors Allen's condition since Allen got himself beautiful women.Despite its modest aspect, the film is made with sincerity by a future comical genius who translated his flaws into a semi-autobiographical classic, to a point it's hard to comprehend the talent of Woody Allen without watching "Take the Money and Run" and I'm sure even Ebert would reconsider his view because it's precisely for all the films that came after, that "Take the Money and Run" should be judged with more enthusiasm.

George Wright Woody Allen's first Imovie is a slapstick comedy with a brilliant series of gags about a failed cello player who takes up a life of crime. Virgil Starkwell is being hunted by the FBI and the movie is a newsreel account consisting of side-splitting skits: Virgil escaping from prison using a bar of soap; trying to rob a bank as tellers argue over the meaning of his notes; chain gangs on the loose as everyone overlooks the obvious clanging of the chains. The clichés are endless and exaggerated to the point of hysteria. Interviews with his parents (in Groucho Marx disguises) are part of the narrative. We can see the style of humor that at the time was reminiscent of Mel Brooks. Interesting to compare these with his mature movies such as those set in Manhattan in the 1980's and later on, Crimes and Misdeameanors and Manhattan Murder Mystery, where the word play and script were dominant. Yet the early Woody Allen was a budding genius and very funny.