To me, only two films of his are better from this period and they are Love and Death(which is one of his best) and Sleeper. Bananas is also very good with some of the funniest stuff in any of his films(ie. the courtroom scene) but the story and pacing for me were more even in Take the Money and Run. Take the Money and Run is not quite among Allen's best, but it apart from a cloyingly written romance that bogs the pacing down, a rather draggy last 10 minutes and the somewhat passive performance of Janet Margolin is a very strong second film of his(as writer, director and actor), a vast improvement over What's Up Tiger Lily? Take the Money and Run is skilfully made and while there is understandably still a finding-his-feet feel at times Allen keeps things on a tight leash and in command of the material. The dialogue is so funny that you're in danger of missing something from laughing so much, a lot of it is quotable too. Jackson Berk's voice-over is just superb with some of the funniest material coming from the narration alone. But what's going on on camera is every bit as funny, the chain gang and bank robbery scenes as a matter of fact are just hilarious. The mockumentary style of the story is very cleverly done and structured if not as ground-breaking as Zelig, and the pacing very rarely sags(it's only with the romance when it does), never feeling confusing or simplistic. The music fits the film very well indeed, appropriately slapstick in tone, and is catchy, enough though Allen has had better music in his films. Allen looks like he's having a ball and there's nothing drastically wrong with the rest of the acting either. Overall, a strong second film and while not one of Woody Allen's very best it's one of the better films of the pre-Annie Hall period. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Take the Money and Run
