Zwei hinreissend verdorbene Schurken

When two people fight, a third laughs. Even after almost three decades since its premiere, it is still a pleasant and functional comedy with several excellent moments resulting from the mutual rivalry of two swindlers in one arena. Glenne Headly is a good actress, but she lacks that little bit of charisma to keep up with her colleagues, so the majority of the runtime is rightfully dominated by Steve Martin and Michael Caine. It is not so surprising that the seasoned British veteran performs better on screen, embodying his character with charm and nobility. His American counterpart, on the other hand, tends to overplay his portrayal of an uneducated brute. It is paradoxical that even though Caine plays a polished man from a higher class, he actually comes from a neglected working-class housing estate. Overall impression: 65%. (30.09.2015)

Ein Comedy-Treffer ins Schwarze. Michael Caine hat bei irgendeiner Gelegenheit Zwei hinreissend verdorbene Schurken als einen seiner Lieblingsfilme bezeichnet, in denen er mitgespielt hat. Das überrascht mich gar nicht. Die Originalversion mit David Niven und Marlon Brando kenne ich nicht. Ich musste mich also mit keinem unangenehmen Vergleichen befassen und konnte den Film "nur“ genießen. Der durchschaubare Plot hat mich überhaupt nicht gestört. Schon an Anfang, als Caine, der sich für einen Adeligen ausgibt, Spenden für Kinder in Afrika auftreibt, ist der Film sehr witzig. Nach ungefähr zwanzig Minuten, als Steve Martin Caines Schüler wird, geht es aber erst richtig los. Ich habe gedacht, dass es in dem Film nichts Besseres als die Szenen mit Bruder Ruprecht geben kann. Dann kamen aber die Wette und das unglaublich einfallsreiche Überbieten der Betrüger, der Rollstuhl und das Tanztrauma, Dr. Schuffhausen und seine Untersuchung der gelähmten Beine, die Matrosen… Perfekt. (19.03.2012)

There are two of them, two of the many unctuous liars who steal from rich ladies. The first one is worse than the second and thus qualified to give, under duress, his competitor a few lessons in being a sleazeball. After a remedial retraining and a few warm-up betrayals, the prodding with much sharper objects begins. Their strengths are extraordinarily well balanced and if you don’t want to be the next victim, don’t bet on the outcome of this pissing match. Frank Oz can make very funny and endearingly politically incorrect comedies about people whose company you would actually prefer to avoid in favour of pumping out your neighbour’s septic tank. Fortunately, however, this isn’t reality, but a brilliant comedy. It is a joy to watch Caine and Martin dive into their roles and their one-upmanship in the art of wilful imbecility. Furthermore, you can see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as an unconventional lesson in social immorality, without which it’s hard to get by today. 80% (01.03.2012)