Only When I Larf

Set against the slick, modern bustle of the 1960s, the film juxtaposes fast-paced New York finance and London society with exotic locales. It captures the era's mood of swashbuckling international crime using disguises, helicopter escapes, and high-stakes schemes. The past military memories of the characters also surface, grounding the era in postwar bravado.

The story moves from a Manhattan office block in New York City to the streets and skyline of London, then to North Africa around El Alamein, and finally to Umm Al Amad in Lebanon. Each setting provides a different backdrop for the trio's cons, from high finance to desert bargaining. The film uses these shifts to emphasize the global scale of their heist.

🎭 Deception

Deception sits at the heart of the plot as the trio constantly swap identities, stage scams, and manipulate those around them. Disguises, fake roles, and misdirection propel the heist from New York to Beirut-like settings, with each twist raising the stakes. Trust dissolves as partners turn on each other in the pursuit of cash.

💰 Greed

Greed drives the scheme, pushing the team to chase enormous sums and increasingly risky gambits. They move from stealing a $250,000 cheque to plotting a far larger Lebanon deal, even as the risk of discovery grows. The promise of wealth accelerates betrayals and two-way splits.

👥 Loyalty

The narrative threads test loyalties within a makeshift family of con artists. Lowther's leadership and Bob's secret ties to him collide with Liz's ambition, while romance and rivalry blur lines of loyalty. Family ties complicate trust as greed pressures even kinship.

🌍 International Heist

The con unfolds across continents, exploiting cultural cues and international banking loopholes. From New York's skyline to London's clubs, and then desert negotiations in Africa and Lebanon, the film uses globe-spanning locales to heighten the audacity of the scam. The scale emphasizes that crimes are transnational in this era.