Leading a terrific roster of talent, Henry Fonda is very good cast against type as the mastermind of "The Alpha Caper", a minor movie for TV that is better than its high-priced famous competitors, like George Clooney's "Ocean's" movie series. Watching "Alpha" for the first time just now, I had the odd coincidence that the movie's premise is based upon Fonda's character as a veteran parole officer has been ordered to retire, a victim of ageism, just after I read the op-ed of Clooney in real life requesting President Biden to drop out of the race, a current case of ageism!
The suspense is fun rather than harrowing as the actual crime takes place, and the ending is delightful. By 2024 prices, the gold they steal would be worth over 115 million dollars!
That's because Elroy Schwartz's ingenious script details how the big robbery will be carried out in great detail, quite fascinating. Even the very best caper films of all time, like "Rififi", rely on the brilliant execution of the caper to enthrall an audience, but in this case the first half of the feature as Fonda works out the meticulous planning is great fun to witness, too.
Casting includes Leonard Nimoy as an ex-con lowlife who excels in such a different part than his image: he looks like Ray Romano here! It's interesting that the show's producer and developer is Harve Bennett, who famously produced several of the "Star Trek" features starring Nimoy later on.
