Synopsis

The opening scene portrays a young man against a background of steppes. Dressed in a suit, he is picking a flower as soldiers appear out of the blue. Since a nuclear test is about to be carried out in the area, he is led to a place of safety. The man, who was just looking for a job, accidentally ends up in possession of an atomic bomb. Unknowingly, he carries the deadly weapon around in his briefcase. It does not take long before gangsters and uniformed villains start chasing him to snatch the infernal machine from his grasp. However, the task proves to be rather difficult. A Bomb Was Stolen provides rare comedic and artistically valuable insight into the nuclear arms race during the Cold War era and the fears these weapons of mass destruction raised. Moreover, despite its humorous approach, the satirical spy film also conveys a serious message: the real danger lies beyond the bombs’ explosive power. It lurks in the minds of the powerful. From a formal vantage point, the appealingly surreal work does perfectly well without dialogues, for it uses a great deal of symbolic elements and jazzy tunes instead. Anyone who likes Tati, Hitchcock and Chaplin, will find true joy in this film’s monochrome classic slapstick and in its hilarious remarks and film quotes. Absolutely peculiar and iconic!