The efforts of a talented ensemble make all the difference in this movie from screenwriter / director Jim Kouf (who'd written the 1987 hit "Stakeout", among other things). It brings together a motley collection of big city criminals for a bank job in a small Montana town. This job is the brainchild of career crook Frank Salazar (Corbin Bernsen) who is arrested almost right away by a pair of New Jersey detectives, George Denver (Ed O'Neill) and Bill Lonigan (Daniel Roebuck). So Franks' team is left to figure things out and pull off the job on their own - if they can manage not to kill each other, as the sparks fly between them. The team consists of Max Green (Fred Gwynne), Carlos Barrios (Ruben Blades), Ray Forgy (Lou Diamond Phillips), and Nick Bartkowski (William Russ), Nick turning out to be an enormous pain in the ass for the other three. Frank manages to escape from George and Bill, who both turn out to be pretty stupid, and goes on a lengthy trek to get back to the hideout, while Max, Carlos, and Ray have their work cut out for them trying to repair the damage that Nick does. The major appeal of the movie lies, as previously said, in seeing these actors at work, and they make for an agreeable bunch of unlikely comrades. Gwynne is especially effective as the old pro among the thieves, and O'Neill deserves some sort of good sport prize for doing as many scenes as he does while not wearing pants. However, Hoyt Axton is rather wasted as the local sheriff. As the story plays out, one can hardly keep from feeling somewhat bad for Frank, who truly gets a raw deal. Another benefit is seeing a variety of very urban types in a very rural setting. One can tell this was actually shot on real Montana locations, and the non-Hollywood setting is refreshing. David Newmans' score is flavourful, and the photography is first rate. The movie doesn't necessarily deliver lots of belly laughs, but should generate some appreciative smiles as it bases itself on placing various characters in untenable situations. There are some good lines here and there, and there's one great farcical sequence where George is trying to cross a river. The climactic scene of Max and Nick breaking into the bank vault is a fun one, and it's not hard to root for them at this point. Ending on a high note (if also a fairly childish one), "Disorganized Crime" holds up fairly well 23 years later and moves forward at a good clip. Eight out of 10.
