This film suffers tremendously from- by lack of an official or better term - the "Well, duh!" syndrome. Basically, this means the script takes an awful long time to mysteriously build up towards something that everybody already knows because it's mentioned in every simplest plot synopsis and even in the damn title! Franco Nero, Italy's finest cinematic export product, is "The Blue-Eyed Bandit". That's what the title says, and it's also unmistakably illustrated via the DVD cover image. And yet, for the first 40-45 minutes, we mainly just witness how Nero's character - Renzo Dominici - pretends to be grey and pitiable banking clerk who sits alone in his miserably small office and stumbles out of the building as the last employee because of his (fake) crippled leg. Some explanation and background regarding his masterplan to rob his own employer is great, I'm not denying that, but it takes too long and features far too many dull moments. When Dominici eventually does execute his heist, "The Blue-Eyed Bandit" turns into a reasonably entertaining and compelling crime-caper. Since his waterproof plan apparently wasn't so waterproof after all, Dominici has to deal with (read: get rid of) a handful of annoying persons that know his true identity and want to blackmail him. There are a couple of notable action and suspense moments in the last twenty minutes, but the only real reasons to recommend "The Blue-Eyed Bandit" are Franco Nero's performance, Dalila Di Lazzaro's beauty and Ennio Morricone's music.
Review of The Blue-Eyed Bandit
