A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
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A gang of diamond thieves double-cross one another while a femme fatale seduces a barrister to locate the loot.
The story
A gang of diamond thieves, including a con artist and a weapons expert, successfully steal a large sum of diamonds. After the heist, the group's leader is arrested, and the remaining members must navigate a web of betrayals to locate the hidden loot. Amidst the tension, the femme fatale Wanda seduces the leader's barrister, Archie Leach, to convince him to reveal the diamonds' location. As jealousy and suspicion grow among the thieves, the situation becomes increasingly volatile, with each member attempting to outmaneuver the others to secure the fortune for themselves.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a successful heist, the gang hides the diamonds in a safe. Wanda and Otto betray George to the police, and George is imprisoned. Wanda then seduces George's barrister, Archie, to find the diamonds. She hides the key in a pendant, which Archie's wife, Wendy, mistakenly keeps. During a trial, Wanda gives evidence against George, leading to a chaotic cross-examination where Archie's affair is exposed. Meanwhile, Ken is tasked with eliminating a witness, Mrs. Coady, and succeeds. To find the diamonds, Otto forces Ken to reveal their location at a hotel near Heathrow. In a final confrontation, Archie and Wanda attempt to flee with the loot while Otto tries to stop them. After a series of physical altercations and a chase involving a steamroller, Otto is left behind as Archie and Wanda escape on a plane.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Charles Crichton
- Writers
- John Cleese · screenplay; John Cleese · story; Charles Crichton · story
- Cast and characters
- John Cleese · Archie Leach; Jamie Lee Curtis · Wanda Gershwitz; Kevin Kline · Otto West; Michael Palin · Ken Pile; Maria Aitken · Wendy Leach; Tom Georgeson · George Thomason; Patricia Hayes · Mrs Eileen Coady; Geoffrey Palmer · Judge
- Genres
- comedy; crime
- Themes
- betrayal; greed
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- heist; con artist; diamond theft
- Reception
- The film was well-received by critics and audiences, earning high scores on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. It was also recognized as a significant British comedy, appearing on several 'best of' lists for its humor and direction.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 96% · review count: 67; Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: 100 · review count: 17; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Director · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Actor in a Leading Role · win; BAFTA Award · Best Actor in a Leading Role · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Actress in a Leading Role · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Actor in a Supporting Role · win; BAFTA Award · Best Actress in a Supporting Role · nomination
- Production trivia
- The original title was 'A Goldfish Called Wanda'.; A spectator died of laughter during a screening.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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