Go To Blazes (DVD)

Here's a slice of nostalgia that harks back to a simpler time when comedy movies didn't have to be expensive, offensive or funny. That's a little unfair, as while it's undeniably cheap and gentle by today's standards there is amusement to be found in Go To Blazes. You'll just have to adjust your modern expectations.

The set up is simple; three cheeky and charming career criminals of the kind that have never existed in real life (Dave King, Daniel Massey and Norman Rossington) are being carted off to prison one day when they come to the realisation that the only vehicles on the road that all traffic moves aside for are fire engines. Upon their release they set about stealing one so they can put their criminal master-plan into action. Inevitably, the trio are mistaken for real firemen and find they enjoy helping people almost as much as robbing them.

Go To Blazes pales in comparison to classic British crime caper comedies like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob. It relies entirely on sub-Carry On level jokes and an endless parade of recognisable actors (Maggie Smith, Robert Morley, Derek Nimmo) in pointless cameos as bizarrely eccentric characters. But despite all this it's so good-natured and likeable that only the most bitterly cynical viewer could honestly say they didn't enjoy it. It's also refreshingly amoral. The only lesson its central characters learn is that putting out fires is harder than robbing banks.

Overall Verdict: It might not make you laugh out loud but it will probably leave you with a satisfied smile on your face.

Special Features:
None

Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon