The Ladykillers

Alec Guinness and Katie Johnson are both wonderful, the plot is cleverly constructed, and I was entertained for the most part. But it isn't terribly funny, just kind of... amusing.

Terrific black comedy from the glory days at Britain's Ealing Studio. Alec Guinness has a great time doing the comically sinister thing, and the actual caper is a tour de force of comedy. Beautifully photographed, quite atmospheric. Add this to your DVD collection and just forget about the lousy remake.

It's the plot, not the humor, that carries this crime comedy, although it's certainly an amusing and sometimes quite funny film. The cast is great, with Katie Johnson as the old lady and Alec Guinness as the creepy leader of the gang being the standouts. The whole set piece with the train smoke was very well thought out, and the end was wonderful.

Alec Guinness is one of the best character actors ever. Look at him in Oliver Twist then compare him in this film then look at him in A Passage To India. Unbelievable that it's all the same guy. I thought this movie was funny but not exactly gut busting funny. I found the plot more interesting than all the gags. The ending was great and definitely not what I expected.

Yeah it's kind of funny, but more in how terribly awkward and strange the whole thing is than anything else. Even so it's still a pretty good caper film.