Inside Out (1975), not to be confused with the brilliant animated film, is a dated, third-rate caper flick that aspires to, but fails to achieve, ingenious intricacy. Angling con man Harry Morgan (Telly Savalas), looking to dig out of massive debt, needs a big score, and gets his wish when he’s approached by former German Army prison chief Ernst Furben (James Mason). Furben has learned that millions of dollars worth of stolen Nazi gold may be ripe for the taking. The problem: its secret location is trapped in the head of former Nazi official Reinhardt Holtz (Wolfgang Lukschy), who’s locked up at a maximum security prison under constant guard. Morgan enlists war buddy Sly Wells (Robert Culp) to help him execute an elaborate plan to liberate Holtz from prison, break him, and put him back before anyone notices, so that they can recover the gold.
Shot on location in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin, Inside Out is an upbeat, campy relic derivative of earlier, better material. It tries and fails to mimic the comic tone of the classic heist flick Topkapi, and the complex spectacle of certain Mission: Impossible episodes, but it’s a pale imitation of both, possessing the requisite elements but none of the magic. Savalas and Culp do their level best to have fun with it, but ultimately it’s a forgettable, inferior effort.
