A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and written by Crichton and John Cleese. It stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin. The film follows a gang of diamond thieves who double-cross one another to find stolen diamonds hidden by the gang leader. A barrister becomes a central figure as femme fatale Wanda uses him to locate the loot.
Plot
London-based gangster George Thomason plans a jewel heist with his right-hand man, Ken Pile, an animal lover with a stutter. They bring in two Americans: con artist Wanda Gershwitz and weapons expert Otto West, an ignorant and mean-spirited anglophobe. Wanda and Otto are lovers, but pretend to be siblings, so Wanda can work her charms on Ken and George. The heist succeeds and the gang escapes with a large sum in diamonds, which they hide. Wanda and Otto then betray George to the police and he is arrested. They return to collect the loot, with Wanda planning to double-cross Otto as well, but it is gone: George had also returned, and moved it to a safe deposit box, giving Ken the key. Wanda finds it in Ken's fish tank and hides it in her locket.
More details
author | John Cleese |
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director | Charles Crichton |
editor | John Jympson |
genre | comedy crime |
keywords | america\'s defeat in vietnam anglophobe anglophobia animal lover arrest con artist concrete crown diamond direct examination drive eat fish tank flee gemstone heart attack heathrow airport jewel jewel heist kill learn loveless marriage plan question rich man rio de janeiro safe deposit box sibling south america steamroller stutter taunt vietnam war |
musicBy | John Du Prez |
producer | Michael Shamberg |
productionCompany | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
publisher | MGM/UA Communications Co. United International Pictures |
theme | crime comedy heist |