The Steal

Williams is the mysterious lawyer who acts as commissioning officer for a PC scam to liberate funds from an evil merchant bank whose investment portfolios have devastated the Asian demi-paradise of Golanda. To this end, he enlists brash computer hacker Slater and old pal Molina, a reserved council traffic-planner. Pretty much a non-starter as a Brit caper-comedy, writer/director Hay's barely adequate picture is nevertheless sweet in the way it fails. It's like the kind of keen, bad school essay which shows all the heartbreaking evidence of a pupil having heard, but not learned, from teacher's advice. In their efforts to make an economic modern Ealing comedy the producers have thrown everything into the pudding: American star, impersonations, car chases, rural interludes - all executed in delightfully mid-scale, lightweight, familiar and mildly diverting style. The rest is spot the TV actor. Undemanding, old-fashioned and old hat.