The 14th and last film in the popular "Olsen-Banden" film series is a must see for fans of the series, but this film survives mostly on the fond memories of the earlier films. It´s 17 years since gang leader Egon Olsen was committed to a facility for the criminally insane. Here, he is brought on a Danish TV talk show to comment on the plight of elderly citizens. He is instantly recognized by fellow gang members, Kjeld and Benny, and the ol´ gang teams up for one final heist when Egon manages to escape. Sadly the gang must admit that they are not as fit as they used to be, but still manage to get into trouble. The cast is full of familiar faces from the series, and Axel Strøbye steals the show as "Jensen", and it´s nice to see Jes Holtsø (criminally underused as "Børge") but Kirsten Walther is sorely missed as "Yvonne".
Sadly, Poul Bundgaard´s real life health problems are all too apparent here, and he died during production, with half his scenes left to be filmed, leading to script changes, CGI magic and an unrecognizable Tommy Kenter standing in for the exterior shots. Tragically, director Tom Hedegaard, who was assistant director on most of the early films, died a week before shooting was to be completed. The remaining scenes were directed by Morten Arnfred. Cast veterans Bjørn Watt-Boolsen and Benny Hansen died shortly after the premiere. The final result is, while not terribly funny, still nostalgic and entertaining enough with a cast full of veterans doing what comes natural.
Sadly, Poul Bundgaard´s real life health problems are all too apparent here, and he died during production, with half his scenes left to be filmed, leading to script changes, CGI magic and an unrecognizable Tommy Kenter standing in for the exterior shots. Tragically, director Tom Hedegaard, who was assistant director on most of the early films, died a week before shooting was to be completed. The remaining scenes were directed by Morten Arnfred. Cast veterans Bjørn Watt-Boolsen and Benny Hansen died shortly after the premiere. The final result is, while not terribly funny, still nostalgic and entertaining enough with a cast full of veterans doing what comes natural.
