¨La Patrulla de los Once¨or ¨The Gang of Eleven¨ is a nice Spanish comedy with portentous as well as likable characterizations , released in 1963 , directed by Pedro Lazaga and a splendid cast , such as : Ángel de Andrés, Manolo Gómez Bur, José Isbert, Rafael Luis Calvo, Juanjo Menéndez, Antonio Ozores, Antonio Riquelme, Julio Riscal, Adolfo Marsillach, Margot Cottens and Manolo Morán (the entire gang of eleven) . A mobster named "El Rubio" (Ismael Merlo) brings together a series of thugs with the purpose of robbing the Bank of Spain , digging an underground gallery from La Cibeles . Bad luck will cause them to get stuck in the tunnel they intend to enter , leading to all sorts of hilarious and embarrassing events . Being inspired by the American gangster films. Here "El Rubio" explains to his hoodlums that , to commit the armed robbery , they will have to dig a gallery in the Cibeles fountain that leads to Bank of Spain . But, due to the threats of a rival band , "El Rubio" decides to fake his death by an assassination and then undergoing a surgical operation to change his face , appearing a new subject (Adolfo Marsillach) and pretending to be one of the most famous actors at the time.
This agreeable picture concerns a hold-up pulled off by a bunch of unfortunate as well as bungling gangsters but things go awry . It is a parody of the American film ¨Ocean's Eleven¨ or ¨La Cuadrilla de los Once¨ (1960), directed by Lewis Milestone starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin , it caused an attempt to make a kind of remake-tribute of Spanish production . For this, Pedro Lazaga, one of the most sought-after directors of the moment, and a group of actors of undoubtedly comical vis were involved in this enjoyable production . Perhaps the most successful part of the script was the fact that Adolfo Marsillach played the role of a criminal who had his face operated on to look like... Adolfo Marsillach , which shows the fame and recognition that the actor had at that time . There are some nice jokes in the film and the cast , playing eccentric characters , make a cosy fit . It takes a simple concept , a peculiar robbing , being schemed , planned and proceeded by bungling people and in similar style to Italian classy ¨Rufufu¨ (1956) , a great Comedia all'Italiana by Mario Monicelli ; this latter was a brilliant parody to French production titled ¨Rififi¨(1956) by Jules Dassin and , of course , the Spanish classic ¨Atraco a Las Tres¨ by José Maria Forqué . And surprisingly, La pandilla de los once (1963) displays a plot similar to the recent Spanish blockbuster Way Down (2021) by Jaume Balagueró . It is a comical and sometimes disconcerting account of a bunch of mobsters by packing attractive images , strange situations , swift frames , twists and turns ; but it especially contains catching touches of humor and irony . Interesting as well as funny story and screenplay from Juan Jesús Buhigas and Antonio de Lara , being mostly set into a tunnel in which the thieves are unfortunately locked . The flick interweaves fun comedy adapted to Spanish characteristics by that time along with a brief social criticism and great amusement . This film is made to entertain , and this movie , especially for a good time and a pleasant entertainment . The flick contains silly incidents , fun plot twists , tongue-in-cheek , grotesque situations and above all , humor . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly cool . This film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few ridiculous . The characters are quite odd , grotesque and geek and the film races on at incredible speed . Filmmaker Pedro Lazaga delivers an enjoyable comedy in which the main and support cast are frankly outstanding . The main attraction resides in its excellent cast in which stand out Manolo Gómez Bur, Antonio Ozores , Julio Riscal , Rafael Luis Calvo , Juanjo Menéndez , Manolo Morán, Margot Cottens , Erasmo Pascual , José Orjas , Tomás Blanco and of course the always great José Isbert and brief appearance by Vicente Parra.
The motion picture was well directed by the prolific Pedro Lazaga and it was a hit at Spanish box office . Lazaga directed various film with the popular comic player Paco Martinez Soria . Lazaga was born in Valls , Tarragona , Catalonia , and died on November 30, 1979 in Madrid . He was a prolific director and writer , specially known for Los Chicos del Preu (1967), María Morena (1951), Cuerda De Presos (1956) and Posición Avanzada (1966). Pedro was a craftsman , a notorious director and writer who directed all kind of genres such as Peplum : Siete Espartanos , Wartime : Cuerda De Presos , Posicion Avanzada , Torrepartida , La Patrulla ; Drama : Rostro De Asesino , Otro Arbol De Guernica , but especially known for comedies in low budget . Director Pedro Lazaga made , during the fifties and early sixties , eight films , mostly comedies : ¨Muchachas De Azul¨, Ana Dice Si¨. ¨Luna De Verano¨, ¨Económicamente Debiles¨ , ¨Trio Damas¨ for screenwriter and producer Jose Luis Dibildos and his ¨Agata Films Productions¨. The best of all them resulted to be ¨Los Tramposos¨. He continued making comedies such as Patrulla De Los Once , Los Tramposos , Sabian Demasiado , El Vikingo , ¡No Firmes Más Letras, Cielo! , Vente a Ligar Al Oeste , Hasta El Matrimonio Nos Separe , La Amante Perfecta , Fulanita y Sus Menganos , Vota a Gundisalvo , Terapia Al Desnudo , Tres Suecas Para Tres Rodríguez , Yo soy Fulana de Tal , 5 Almohadas Para Una Noche , En La Cresta De la Ola and several others . His most known films were with the popular comic player Paco Martinez Soria , such as : Abuelo Made in Spain or Old made in Spain, , Padre De La Criatura , Alegre Divorciado , Estoy Hecho Un Chaval , Vaya Par Gemelos , among others. Rating : 6.5/10 . The pic will appeal to Spanish cinema fans.
