REVIEW:
Does the world really need a second remake of the 1958 Italian classic Big Deal on Madonna Street? Louis Malle's Crackers, one of the director's few out-and-out misfires, brought Street to '80s San Francisco; now cowriter-codirectors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo's Collinwood brings Street's story of a bunch of loutish but likable losers planning a perfect crime to a hardscrabble outskirt of Cleveland. But why? It's not as if the original is such a big deal; it's an amiable comedy that spoofs such popular crime films of the era as Rififi, but it's a decidedly minor work. So imagine it even more minor. . . and you've got this.
So, again: Why? I suspect this kind of movie is a bit of a busman's holiday for the likes of Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, George Clooney, et. al.: a chance to have a little fun essaying characters who are enjoyably goofy but not too, you know, demanding. If you've never seen Madonna Street (which I suppose is not entirely outside the realm of probability), you could find Collinwood chucklesome; if you have, you'll just be left saying "Huh?"
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Welcome to Collinwood
Release Date: October 4
Starring: Isaiah Washington, William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Luis Guzmán, Michael Jeter
Directed by: Anthony and Joseph Russo
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Copyright © 2008 Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.