Touchstone and Beyond: "Disorganized Crime"

Feature Presentation: Disorganized Crime

Cast of Characters

• Corbin Bernsen as Frank
• Ruben Blades as Carlos
• Fred Gwynne as Max
• Ed O’Neill as George
• Lou Diamond Phillips as Ray
• William Russ as Nick
• Hoyt Axton as Sheriff Henault

Elevator Pitch

Frank has a plan to rob a local bank in a small town in Montana. He summons his partners in crime for the half million dollars they plan to steal, but Frank gets arrested by New Jersey cops George and Bill who plan to take him back to the garden state to stand trial.

Carlos, Max, Ray, and Nick all arrive planning to meet up with Frank but learn their ringleader was arrested and taken away. While Frank escapes from the cops, Carlos, Max, Ray, and Nick learn about Frank’s plan and make plans to rob the bank themselves.

As Frank navigates getting lost in the woods to evade George and his partner, the boys who were hired help take the lead and plan to rob the bank with some explosive ideas of how to evade the cops. 

Time winds down, and while George and Bill search the area for Frank, they are closer to the bank robbers than they know. The only problem for Carlos, Max, Ray, and Nick is will they successfully rob the bank and get away, or will their plans be foiled by the hapless cops. 

The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance

Ruben Blades, Lou Diamond Phillips, Fred Gwynne, and William Russ are an excellent group of actors to play the robbers. They play off each other well, and even though they are criminals they are hilarious. Each of them is a perfect mixture to a wonderful recipe of hoodlum gangs that aren’t the violent murderous type. 

William Russ’ Nick complaining during the getaway about not being perfect in opening the vault feels so real and is funny. It’s not something you would expect from a heist film, which makes it unique in the genre. 

I have never cheered more for robbers to enter the bank vault than when I did for the climax of this movie. 

The shirt that Lou Diamond Phillips is wearing at the start of the movie is awesome. It’s a nice muted Hawaiian shirt that I would love to own. 

The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity

Corbin Bernsen deserved to have more screen time in the movie. He is the central figure to the story, but he like the central figure in Waiting for Godot, is not really a factor in the story.

Production Team

• Directed by Jim Kouf
• Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Silver Screen Partners IV / Kouf-Bigelow Productions
• Written by Jim Kouf
• Release Date: April 14, 1989
• Domestic Box Office Gross: $7,723,506

I Know Their Name

Daniel Roebuck as Bill Lonigan. He may play Ed O’Neill’s partner in the film but fans of Matlock in the 1990’s or if you watched the HBO film The Late Shift will recognize Roebuck

Deep Dive Behind the Scenes

• The movie earned almost $3 million its opening weekend. 
• In the scene where O’Neill’s character crosses the river, he did the stunt himself and reportedly submerged himself in the freezing water without the aid of a stunt double.
• It may have seemed gross, but the pig dung in the back of the truck that sees our hapless robbers hitch a ride into town on, was actually chocolate. 
• One of the working titles for the film was Waiting for Salazar.
• Director Jim Kouf had hoped to land Edward James Olmos for the role of Frank. He was busy. Bernsen secured the role thanks in part to his fame from L.A. Law.
• Kouf also wanted to work with Emilio Estevez again after their time on Stakeout. Estevez was offered the role of Ray but turned it down due to other commitments. 
• When William Russ’s character steals the car, they had to use a stunt driver for the scene because Russ did not know how to drive a car.
• Fred Gwynne experienced heart trouble throughout the production, and one scene where it looks like his character is having heart trouble, was actually Gwynne having a heart attack. 
• This was the first theatrical film for Dean Norris.
• The film was shot over 52 days in Montana, and often shooting days would be snowed out due to winter weather.
• Corbin Bernsen really had black ants on him during the ant attack scene in the wilderness. 
• Executive producer John Badham has a small role as a news reporter.
• Lou Diamond Phillips did the stunt himself where his character is dragged under the car. Phillips commented in interviews after shooting the movie that he had scars on his back for months from the stunt.  

Bill’s Spicy Take

Low budget crime caper films from the 1980’s are far more entertaining than most big budget blockbuster’s of today or the majority of the hundred-million-dollar animated tales of late. 

Oscar Thoughts

(These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films)

{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}

Disorganized Crime is a wonderfully titled hapless crime comedy from a writer/director who has a pedigree in making good stories with meager amounts of money. The cast is phenomenal, the ending is pitch perfect, and who wouldn’t want to see Fred Gwynne, Lou Diamond Phillips, William Russ, and Ruben Blades win. They are phenomenal in the film, and I loved every minute of the film.

Disorganized Crime gets my For the Birds Award. It’s the perfect film for any device, and you will enjoy watching this movie.

Coming Attractions

Next week, a look back at Unstrung Heroes.