where the money is * * * directed by marek kanievska . written by e . max frye , topper lilien and carroll cartwright , based on a story by frye . photography , thomas burstyn . editing , sam craven , garth craven and dan lebental . production design , andre chamberland . music , mark isham . produced by ridley scott , charles weinstock , chris zarpas and christopher dorr . cast : paul newman ( henry ) , linda fiorentino ( carol ) , dermot mulroney ( wayne ) , susan barnes ( foster ) , anne pitoniak ( tetlow ) , et al . a usa films/grammercy release . 89 minutes . pg-13 ( language , hints of sex ) points earned . for likelihood of plot * 1/2 for interest of subject * * for unpretentiousness * * * . for linda fiorentino * * * 1/2 . for paul newman * * * * bonus points : we at bbnmm ( bring back the ninety minute movie ) commend the film . its title is the famous quote attributed to robber willie sutton ( 1901-1980 ) when he was asked why he robbed banks . " because that's where the money is . " in reality , willie ( also known as willie the actor for his disguises ) never said it . unlike yogi bera , he did not leave a legacy of other quotes . but the apocryphal reply has been used time and again in wildly different cicumstances . london-born director marek kanievska , has just two previously released features . " another country " ( uk , 1984 ) comes from a prize-winning london play about with public schools ( private schools in american parlance ) in the 1930s , homosexuality , non-conformism , the real-life defection of brits to the ussr . it was nominated for best picture at the 1984 cannes film festival . " less than zero " ( usa , 1987 ) was very distantly adapted from the brett easton ellis novel on golden youths and their dissipation . a peculiar coincidence : the film of ellis's controversial novel " american psycho " came out the same week as " where the money is . " the skeleton of the story . carol ( fiorentino ) is a nurse in an old people's home in the oregon sticks . ( the town is played by areas of montreal ) . she is sharp , lively and by now somehow aware that there's more to life than her job and that there ought to be more in her marriage with her high school sweetheart , unambitious wayne ( mulrooney ) a prison bus delivers to the sanitarium chronic bank robber henry ( newman ) who has had a stroke . in his wheelchair , he is like a near-paralyzed vegetable . carol , however , instinctively suspects that he is a fraud . she tries all sorts of tricks --including sexual ones -- to unmask him . in vain . eventually though , she succeeds . shakespeare wrote " out of this nettle , danger , we pluck this flower , safety " ( henry iv ) . carol , out of henry's catatonia plucks a vigorous , smart , still glamorous and sexy man . the purpose of his tour-de-force act as the total invalid is a transfer to a place which is easy to escape from . now being himself and laying his cards on the table , henry , authoritative . suave and charming flirts and dances with carol . she is not unaffected . he regales the couple with the theory and practice of heists . inevitably , the patient , his nurse , and the reluctant husband plan a brinks-type robbery . it nets them an armored vehicle and guard uniforms . the two men impersonate the money-collectors . carol operates the communications system with admirable presence of mind . the first part of the film is cool , laid back like newman , and most unhurried . it is pleasant for the viewers to have time to watch developments , catch nuances and not be pushed around by the story the second part is a savory cocktail of comedy , near-farce and suspense . in " their " armored car , the trio follow the scheduled route . improbabilites are numerous , but the sleight-of-hand of script , direction and production make you forget all about disbelief and the suspension thereof . the suspense comes from the steady changes of venues , each with its own problems and solutions . there are echoes of some earlier paul newman roles . . there might also be a tongue-in-cheek homage to such heist movies as stanley kubrick's early " the killing . " the genre has longevity . so do several pleasantly immoral films which make us root for likable rogues and thieves . paul newman is the colorful , masterful glue that keeps things sticking together . by the way , he is 73 and not 75 here . the picture was made in 1998 . why its release was delayed for two years baffles me . newman is astonishing . any signs of the occasional callowness of his youth have disppeared of course . he is , however , vibrant with youthfulness , energy , humor , self-control , self-confidence and wisdom . still a four-star charmer . linda fiorentino is also an umitigated source of joy . i cannot tell why exactly , but at least twice i felt that she looked like lauren bacall , perhaps because of a combination of gutsiness , initiative and . smarts . she is such a fast learner that anyone who has ever taught a class would give anything to have students like her . the plot's movie-movie dialogue snaps and crackles . carol cuts her robber teeth on her own . she gets from a small bank a bonus toaster-oven without opening the necessary account . disapproving henry throws it in a lake . the imperturbable lady's reaction : " it says you're not supposed to immerse it in water ! " or henry to wayne who will case a joint : " look at them in the eye . but not like you're going to remember their faces . " there are more small pearls of this order . they help raise the film from light entertainment to a solid " divertimento . " " le mauvais gout mene au crime " ( stendhal ) edwin jahiel's film reviews are at : <a href= " http : //www . prairienet . org/ejahiel/ " >http : //www . prairienet . org/ejahiel/</a> 
