To Be A Crook

Claude Lelouch chose a theme not too dissimilar from that of Godard's BREATHLESS--restless youth's romanticism with the image of the U.S. movie gangster. Here the theme is treated much more light heartedly as four young men quit their jobs to turn to crime, but they are totally inept, fumbling even the simplest caper. One of these is the attempted kidnaping of a movie star, which winds up with them taking the actress' stand-in instead. Two different endings were devised for this film. In the French version, the four men wind up shooting each other, while the American release has the four lying down as if dead, than jumping up and laughing.