FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

classicalsteve Robbo a.k.a. Robin (Frank Sinatra) is a 1920's era Chicago mob rival of Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk). They operate speakeasy casinos which serve booze via broads along with the little vice machines: slots, roulette, etc. Sinatra's mentor Big Jim (Edward G. Robinson, uncredited; we see his portrait in Robbo's office) has just been snatched from Chicago to go that big speakeasy in the sky thanks to a new sheriff in town. The film begins with a rather "entertaining" outdoor funeral/send off where Big Jim's fellas give him a last goodbye with some singing, throwing hats, and some pistol shots, Just like they used to do when Capone was pulling Chicago's underworld strings.Now that Big Jim is gone, Guy Gisborne wants his operation to join with Robbo's so they can clean up the town, i.e. monopolize the gambling and the booze. Guy even says it would be better to be "the best of friends rather than the worst enemies." Robbo replies "finish your drink", meaning he's declined the offer. A new pool hustler, Little John, has come into town and wants to help Robbo with his operation. Sammy Davis Jr, has a role as one of Robbo's lackeys but, like Martin, contributes little to the actual story.Turns out Guy is a sore loser and ransacks Robbo's speakeasy. Robbo then returns the favor. Okay, it's about a rivalry between two mob bosses. But then it gets cheesy. Interspersed with this mostly harmless but absolutely fantasized scenario of the 1920's gang wars are a lot of songs, mostly forgettable. "All for One and One for All" is sung by Falk and company at the funeral of Big Jim. "Any Man Who Loves His Mother" is sung by Dean Martin. Of course Davis has a song and dance routine where he shoots up booze bottles in "Bang Bang", and when Crosby enters the story, it's not long before he sings as well. A song which should be fast-forwarded is "Don't be a Do-Badder" in which he and the orphan boys don green Robin Hood hats and sing and dance. Then Frankie, I mean Robbo, meets a beautiful blonde, Marian Stevens (Barbara Rush) who wants to see Robbo in private. Turns out she doesn't want a night out with Frankie. She's the daughter of Big Jim, willing to pay good money to hit whoever offed her father. The hit is carried out, but Robbo claims he had no part of it but ends with $50 G's (that's $50,000). He wants to return the money, which ends up in a charitable organization helping disadvantaged orphans run by none other than Bing Crosby as Minister Alan A. Dale. Robbo becomes an instant celebrity and labeled as the "Robin Hood" of Chicago for his charitable contributions. It starts to ring of "Guys and Dolls" meets "Going My Way" and/or "The Bells of St. Mary's" (where Crosby played a catholic priest, Father O'Malley). "My Kind of Town", Sinatra's big solo, was nominated for "Best Song" but there's not a lot here to cheer about. The scenario didn't take itself seriously about midway.The real standout is Peter Falk as Guy Gisborne but his role as the rival mob boss seems to have been cut in favor of endless and seemingly pointless song and dance routines. At one point Sinatra, Martin and Crosby do a song and dance routine, replete with hats and canes, as if they've been rehearsing for the latest Vaudeville show.Not a bad premise wasted on an unbalanced if not occasionally annoying script. The musical idea essentially ruined the seriousness of the story. It still could have been a comedy-drama fantasy but adding the musical numbers clouded and crowded what could have been a decent story,

Tad Pole Is this some lame attempt to melt GOING MY WAY onto GUYS & DOLLS? The drama kids at my high school could have written a script more plausible than this mishmash. Half the characters end in in building cornerstones?! Is that supposed to be funny? Maybe Jimmy Hoffa is laughing somewhere in the foundations of a freeway overpass, but he's about the only one. And the bimbo who's trying to seduce all the guys? I wouldn't touch her with a 10-foot pole. She's like, "oh, you just whacked my dead old dad, so let's do it - - now!" Mata Hari would be more fun. The songs here are really forgettable; this might have been excuse if offered with a B cast in the 1930s, but what a waste of Rat Pack time. In you add some crappy songs to Expendables 2, you would have a much better flick than Robin and the 7 Hoods.

moonspinner55 ...no, but that might have made a more interesting picture than this. It's Prohibition-era Chicago, and Frank Sinatra coasts indifferently through his role as a gangster in 1928 trying to stay one step ahead of the law, aided by his faithful cronies. Sappy semi-musical doesn't even look good! It's a poor excuse to get the gang together. Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. are joined this time by Bing Crosby, Edward G. Robinson (uncredited), Victor Buono and--in the proverbial pretty girl role--Barbara Rush. Yet everyone here seems to be either distracted or suffering from a bad case of the blues, particularly Ol' Blue Eyes, who looks wrung-out. The film's only kick comes in seeing Crosby and Sinatra reunited from "High Society", and by Peter Falk doing lively work in a dim part. *1/2 from ****

MARIO GAUCI To begin with, I recall catching the opening sequence of this one as a kid on a now-defunct Sicilian TV channel Considered the best of the Rat Pack films, this is a slick, likable and witty transposition of the Robin Hood legend to gangland Chicago. A generally bright outing, it loses steam towards the end, emerging as being decidedly overlong.The stars are in their element – Frank Sinatra is Robin (called Robbo and clearly relishing the role, it’s hard not to be reminded of the star’s real-life mob connections), Dean Martin is Little John (their famous initial confrontation takes place over a game of pool!), Sammy Davis Jr. (who does a fair imitation of James Cagney) is Will Scarlett and Bing Crosby turns up half-way through as Allen A. Dale (this proved to be his last musical role). As for the villains, Peter Falk is wonderful as Guy Gisbourne (though he seemed stuck in gangster types during this time in his career) and heavy-set cocoa-drinking Victor Buono is the new Sheriff. However, I think it was a mistake to present Marian (Barbara Rush) as a femme fatale; appropriately, then, Edward G. Robinson (an icon of the gangster genre) cameos as Big Jim – the Richard the Lionheart figure. There are also notable bits by Hans Conried (as Robbo’s put-upon architect), Allen Jenkins (as a disgruntled partner of Falk’s) and Sig Ruman (as a leading citizen).Though OCEAN’S 11 (1960) did provide a title tune sung by Davis, this is the only Rat Pack musical of the lot. Sinatra’s “My Kind Of Town” was nominated for an Oscar – but other songs are actually more memorably presented: Davis’ own energetic destruction (at the rhythm of a tap dance) of Falk’s gambling joint; “Style”, a momentous collaboration between Sinatra, Martin and Crosby (three of the best-loved crooners ever); and Crosby’s show-stopping “Mr. Booze” (at one point, to divert a police raid organized by rival Falk, Robin’s gang turns the joint into an impromptu temperance meeting!). With this in mind, the film has definite black comedy touches – particularly in the cornerstone-laying motif. However, the Christmasy finale in which the tables are once again turned in favor of Robbo and Rush is reformed (off-screen) by Crosby feels rushed.Some trivia connected to the film: a kidnapping scene was dropped for hitting too close to home – Sinatra’s own kid had just been abducted and eventually ransomed for $250,000!; on the day JFK was shot dead, the scene of Robinson’s funeral was being filmed!; apparently, Sinatra’s old musical pal Gene Kelly was originally involved in the production as a dance director but left during its early stages after disagreeing with Sinatra (who also served here as producer) over the number of dance routines to be incorporated into the film.