Blame It on the Bellboy

Mike Lawton is a professional hitman traveling to Venice to carry out his next assignment. He becomes entangled in a farcical spiral of misdirected messages when the hotel bellboy confuses identities. His pursuit of his supposed mark leads to repeated failed attempts to kill Patricia as the plot spirals out of control. The chaos forces him to improvise while fearing the consequences from both his employers and the mob.

Melvyn is a shy, unassuming clerk who is ordered to buy a villa in Venice to save his job. He is tortured by Scarpa when the mob discovers he is mistaken for a killer, and he repeatedly phones his supposed boss only to be humiliated. As the web tightens, Melvyn hatches a plan to swap the money and slip away, ultimately escaping with cash while the chaos consumes everyone around him.

Maurice Horton is a bank manager and the mayor of a small UK city who travels to Venice to meet a woman through Medi-Date. He believes Caroline is his date and is enticed by the prospect of paying cash for a villa, a plan that flatters his ego. His credulity makes him a prime target for manipulation, triggering complications that ripple through the hotel and villa. By the end, his villa plans unravel along with his personal life.

Caroline Wright is a con artist involved in the villa scam, using charm to lure Maurice and extract cash. She pretends to be his date, keeping the romance and the deal moving while demanding cash upfront. Her calculated moves help maintain the deception until the truth surfaces. Her scheming contributes to the series of double-crosses that end in chaos.

Patricia Fulford is a Medi-Date client who believes Maurice is her date, at least initially. She is a polite, observant participant who realizes she is not Mike's mark and helps reveal the legitimate nature of Medi-Date. She engages in conversations that reveal the false dating ploy and, ultimately, she and Mike develop a bond that leads to marriage.

Scarpa is the ruthless mafioso who orchestrates the villa scheme and the hit on Horton and Orton. He tortures Melvyn to extract information and relentlessly pursues the misdirected plot. He coordinates the arrival of cash and the swap of briefcases, but his plan ends in catastrophe when his boat explodes after the bomb goes off.

The bellboy is a comically bungling hotel employee whose poor command of English and confusion over names trigger the entire chain of mix-ups. His inability to relay accurate information drives the mistaken assignments that set the plot in motion. He remains an emblem of the farce that governs the movie's twists.

Mr. Marshall is the British boss who communicates with Melvyn and oversees the operation from afar. His tough, blunt direction underscores the danger the characters face from powerful criminal interests. His appearance anchors the film’s tension with the ethical stakes of the crime plot.

The Hotel Manager runs the Venice hotel where the three men converge and miscommunications intensify. He witnesses the escalating confusion and the characters’ chaotic behavior, becoming a peripheral observer of the farce. His role highlights how the setting amplifies the plot's twists.