US / 101 minutes / color / Backstage Productions, Trident–Barber Dir & Scr: Jeffrey Bloom Pr: George Pappas, Arnon Milchan (uncredited) Cine: Michael Reed Cast: David Soul, Pamela McMyler, Johnny Wade, Michael Balfour, Tony Melody, Norman Jones, Gordon Gostelow, Connie Vascott, David King, Leslie Hardy, Glynn Edwards, Robert Longden, Cyd Child, Liz Smith, Pat Durkin, Alan Tilvern, Mike McKenzie.
According to Arnon Milchan’s biographers Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman, in their Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon—Arnon Milchan (2011), fledgling producer Milchan was so appalled by this movie that he demanded his name be removed from the credits. Watching The Stick Up today, this seems something of an overreaction. The movie’s no world-beater, but it’s an amiable enough crime comedy. It has something of the picaresque feel to it of Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man! (1973), although with less of the ambition (or, some would say, pretentiousness), less of the social satire and, mercifully, considerably fewer minutes of running time.
Pamela McMyler as Rosie
It’s 1935, the time of George V’s Silver Jubilee, and American wannabe gangster Duke Turnbeau (Soul) is traveling by car through Devon on his way to London and his very first armored car heist. Stopping at the roadside garage/café of Sam Turnwick (Balfour), he finds himself picked up by Irish waitress Rosie McCratchit (McMyler).
David Soul as Duke
Michael Balfour as Sam
Noirish 