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Too Many Crooks (1959) movie poster

Plot Summary

Too Many Crooks (1959) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
1959 · 87 min · English
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Directed by
Mario Zampi
Starring
Brenda de Banzie, John Le Mesurier, Bernard Bresslaw, George Cole, Delphi Lawrence, Joe Melia

A charismatic but hapless leader named Fingers guides a bumbling group of thieves attempting to steal from the wealthy Bill Gordon. Their plans quickly go awry when they mistakenly kidnap Gordon's wife instead of his daughter. This error sets off a series of increasingly chaotic and humorous events as the thieves struggle to manage their predicament and evade capture, leading to a laugh-out-loud adventure.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Too Many Crooks: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Too Many Crooks (1959) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

As Fingers finds his gang growing increasingly frustrated with his inept leadership, a palpable sense of desperation envelops Sid and the others. The tipping point arrives following a disastrous heist at a fur store, which is merely the latest setback in a series of blunders that have left them doubting Fingers' ability to lead. In a last-ditch effort to reclaim their footing, Fingers devises a scheme to target businessman William Gordon, spinning a tale to the gang that the police are on their trail. However, the plan takes an unexpected turn when Fingers accidentally kidnaps Gordon's timid wife, Lucy, instead of his daughter.

As he attempts to negotiate a ransom for Lucy's release, he encounters unforeseen resistance from Gordon, who is less than eager to pay for his dull and unfaithful spouse. Completely taken aback, Fingers finds himself only offering to let Lucy go for a meager £200, which Gordon flatly refuses.

Feeling fed up with her husband's infidelities, Lucy decides to take the reins of her own fate. Drawing on her wartime skills in hand-to-hand combat, she boldly confronts the gang and seeks to turn the tables on Gordon, leveraging his tax disputes with the Inland Revenue and his distrust of banks to her advantage. With astute insight into Gordon’s financial woes, Lucy orchestrates a daring heist that ultimately enriches the gang.

As they flee with stolen cash, furs, and jewelry, Lucy makes a swift exit, leaving chaos in her wake. In a final act of defiance, she gifts Gordon a lit cigarette which inadvertently ignites his house. When Gordon returns to find his residence consumed by flames, he dives back into the inferno multiple times in a frantic bid to salvage his possessions.

The following day's newspaper reveals a shocking murder story, strikingly similar to the crime Fingers had threatened. Gordon leaps to an erroneous conclusion, giving Lucy a perfect chance to deepen her vendetta. She enlists Sid and Fingers to masquerade as police officers investigating her disappearance, successfully extracting more cash from Gordon in exchange for dropping the case.

Just as the gang prepares to claim their bounty, a real inspector from Scotland Yard interrupts the proceedings, igniting Gordon’s anger and raising suspicions about his involvement in Lucy’s vanishing act. As panic takes hold, Fingers decides he must abandon everything and flee the country. His estranged ex-stripper girlfriend presents him with a forged passport for a fresh start. Yet, before he can leave, Fingers feels an urgency to visit his mother, which Lucy accurately perceives as a last-ditch effort to secure a final stash of cash.

When the gang arrives at Gordon's home, they find him hurriedly packing a suitcase, raising doubts about his motives. As the police questions escalate, Fingers seizes the opportunity to snatch the suitcase containing £50,000, making a quick getaway while leaving Gordon too intimidated to fight back. However, unbeknownst to Fingers, Lucy is about to discover her now-broke husband, completely oblivious to the unfolding chaos.

As Fingers and his crew prepare to indulge in their spoils, choosing to keep everything for themselves and excluding Lucy, fate has different plans. In a moment of oversight, the suitcase bursts open, sending the £50,000 spilling across the road, leaving the gang entirely unaware of the repercussions of their greedy choices.

Last updated: November 17, 2024 at 23:21

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Plot questions answered

Too Many Crooks Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Too Many Crooks (1959): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Fingers kidnap Gordon's wife instead of his daughter?

Fingers intended to kidnap Gordon's daughter for ransom, but he made a mistake and grabbed Gordon's timid wife Lucy instead. This error occurs because Fingers is portrayed as an incompetent leader throughout the film, and the blunder fits the comedy of errors tone.

  • fingers
  • lucy
  • kidnapping
  • mistake
  • ransom
Q2

Why is Gordon reluctant to pay the ransom for Lucy?

Gordon shows little interest in paying for Lucy's release because he considers her dull and unfaithful. When Fingers demands a ransom, Gordon initially offers only £200, which he later refuses to pay entirely.

  • gordon
  • lucy
  • ransom
  • marriage
  • infidelity
Q3

How does Lucy manage to take control of the situation?

Lucy uses her wartime skills in hand-to-hand combat to confront the gang. She also exploits her knowledge of Gordon's financial problems, particularly his tax disputes with the Inland Revenue and his distrust of banks, to orchestrate a heist that enriches the thieves.

  • lucy
  • gang
  • control
  • heist
  • wartime skills
Q4

Why does Lucy help the gang steal from her own husband?

Lucy is fed up with Gordon's infidelities and decides to get revenge on her husband. She sees an opportunity to turn the tables on him by using his own financial troubles against him and walking away with the loot.

  • lucy
  • gordon
  • revenge
  • marriage
  • heist
Q5

Why does Lucy set Gordon's house on fire?

Before making her exit, Lucy gives Gordon a lit cigarette as an act of defiance and rebellion. This cigarette accidentally ignites his house, causing it to burn down while Gordon desperately tries to save his possessions.

  • lucy
  • fire
  • house
  • cigarette
  • escape
Q6

Why does Lucy have Fingers and Sid pretend to be police?

After seeing a newspaper story about a murder similar to Fingers' earlier threats, Lucy uses the situation to her advantage. She enlists Fingers and Sid to masquerade as police investigating her disappearance, allowing her to extract more money from Gordon in exchange for dropping the case.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Fingers had threatened murder as part of his ransom demands, making Gordon paranoid.

  • lucy
  • police
  • fake
  • money
  • deception
Q7

Why does Fingers decide to flee the country?

When a real inspector from Scotland Yard arrives and begins questioning Gordon, panic spreads among the gang. Fearing capture, Fingers decides he must escape the country and uses a forged passport provided by his ex-stripper girlfriend.

  • fingers
  • police
  • scotland yard
  • escape
  • passport
Q8

What happens to the £50,000 at the end of the movie?

Fingers steals a suitcase containing £50,000 from Gordon and prepares to enjoy the spoils with his gang. However, in a moment of greed, they exclude Lucy, and the suitcase bursts open, spilling all the money across the road. The gang loses everything due to their own greed.

Foreshadowing: The earlier events show the gang excluding Lucy from their plans after she helped them, setting up the consequence of their ingratitude.

  • money
  • suitcase
  • greed
  • lost
  • fortune
Q9

Why does Fingers want to visit his mother before leaving?

Before fleeing the country, Fingers claims he wants to visit his mother. However, Lucy correctly perceives this as a last-ditch effort to secure a final stash of cash from her. This reveals Fingers' true priorities even in moments of desperation.

  • fingers
  • mother
  • money
  • visit
  • greed
Q10

What happens when Lucy discovers her husband after the heist?

When the gang arrives at Gordon's home to steal the suitcase, they find Gordon hurriedly packing. After they take the £50,000 and leave, Lucy discovers her now-broke husband, completely unaware of the chaos that has unfolded around him.

  • lucy
  • gordon
  • broke
  • discovery

Movie threads

More Movies Like Too Many Crooks, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Too Many Crooks tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Comedic Crime Farce movies like Too Many Crooks

Stories of hopeless heists where everything goes hilariously wrong. If you enjoyed the chaotic hijinks of Too Many Crooks, you'll love these other movies featuring bumbling criminals and failed heists. This collection is perfect for fans of lighthearted comedies where plans backfire in the most amusing ways, delivering laugh-out-loud adventures with a similar fast-paced, farcical energy.

  • farcical
  • chaotic
  • bumbling
  • playful
  • mischievous
  • slapstick
  • Tone: light, humorous, whimsical
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically involves a simple but flawed plan, often a heist or scheme, that immediately goes awry due to the characters' incompetence. This initial mistake triggers a domino effect of increasingly chaotic and humorous complications, leading to a climax where the original goal is entirely subverted by the sheer weight of their bumbling.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on their shared focus on humorous failure, light tone, and the specific archetype of the incompetent criminal. The experience is defined by fast-paced comedic pacing, low emotional stakes, and a sense of playful mischief as plans hilariously unravel.

Movies with clever role reversals like in Too Many Crooks

Stories where the supposed victim turns the tables with clever wit. Fans of Too Many Crooks will appreciate these movies where the tables are turned on the antagonists. If you liked seeing Lucy Gordon outsmart the bumbling thieves, explore these stories of cunning comebacks and satisfying role reversals, all sharing a playful and mischievous tone with similar narrative twists.

  • cunning
  • satisfying
  • playful
  • mischievous
  • clever
  • underdog
  • Tone: playful, mischievous, satisfying
  • Pacing: steady, building to a twist
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The pattern begins with an established power imbalance, where one group or individual has the upper hand. A pivotal mistake or underestimation by the dominant party allows the seemingly weaker character to reveal their hidden cunning. The rest of the story follows their clever manipulation of events, leading to a comeuppance for the initial antagonists.

Why they belong together: These films share a core narrative structure of a clever reversal of fortune. They are united by a playful, mischievous mood where the audience roots for the underdog's intelligence over brute force or initial advantage, resulting in a satisfying and often humorous conclusion.

Every angle

Too Many Crooks (1959) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Too Many Crooks in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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