PETTY thief Cosimo (Luis Guzman) plots the perfect heist of a safe in a disused warehouse in Collinwood, a working class neighbourhood on the east side of Cleveland. Unfortunately, before he can do the job, Cosimo ends up in jail, so his girlfriend Rosalind (Patricia Clarkson) reluctantly puts together a motley crew to complete the heist.

Amateur boxer Pero (Sam Rockwell), struggling single father Riley (William H Macy), handsome Italian gigolo Basil (Andrew Davoli), adoring family man Leon (Isiah Washington), and old-timer Toto (Michael Jeter) gladly accept Rosalind's offer in return for a generous cut of the loot.

Even with the help of expert safecracker Jerzy (George Clooney), the team soon realises that Cosimo's plan will require plenty of courage and daring - qualities they all lack.

Welcome To Collinwood is an uproarious comic caper written and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, which delights in the ineptitude and outrageous misfortune of its hapless safecrackers.

The belly laughs reach hysteria during the pivotal heist sequence, during which the gang have to break through a wall to reach the loot, but end up almost demolishing the entire building in the process.

The film is rich in witty dialogue and the conversations between the characters crackle with quotable one-liners.

They even have their own lingo: a 'bellini' is a job with huge financial rewards; a 'malinski' is a schmuck who will take the rap for suitable recompense; and so on.

The cast appear to be having a ball stumbling from one disaster to the next, shepherded every step of the way by Clooney's wheelchair-bound expert who adopts all sorts of disguises (including the attire of a rabbi) to avoid alerting the police to his underhand activities.

The Russo brothers introduce romantic subplots for two of the characters as well for added distraction, not that the film really needs it.

Like its stuttering, clumsy heroes, Welcome To Collinwood is a film you warm to despite its faults.

Rating: 7/10.