Big Deal on Madonna Street
1958 · Movie · Not Rated · 106 min · ★ 8.1 · 84% critics
A crew of small-time thieves tries to pull off a big score by renting an apartment and tunneling into the pawnshop next door to reach the safe. Their scheme sounds clever on paper, but constant setbacks, bad luck, and their own inexperience turn the planning into a chaotic, laugh-filled mess.
Also known as The Usual Unidentified Thieves · Persons Unknown
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Details
- Original title
- I soliti ignoti
- Years
- 1958
- Release date
- 1958-07-26
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.1/10 (779 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic, light-on-its-feet crime comedy about incompetent crooks and escalating mishaps, with a playful riff on heist tropes like Rififi; Not for you if you need fast pacing or serious stakes.
Pros: wicked smart, witty writing; hilarious bumbling heist; memorable ensemble performances | Cons: slow build for some; humor lost in subtitles; uneven pacing midsection
Themes
- boxer
- heist
- burglary
- safecracker
- tunnel
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1959 · nominated
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1959 · nominated
Cast & crew
Vittorio Gassman
as Peppe il pantera
Renato Salvatori
as Mario Angeletti
Memmo Carotenuto
as Cosimo
Rossana Rory
as Norma
Carla Gravina
as Nicoletta
Claudia Cardinale
as Carmelina
Marcello Mastroianni
as Tiberio
Totò
as Dante Cruciani
Carlo Pisacane
as Capannelle
Tiberio Murgia
as Michele Ferribotte
Directed by Mario Monicelli