“No respectable gentleman is that respectable.” —Edward Pierce
Today’s quick review: The Great Train Robbery. In 1855, Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), a cunning thief, sets out to do the impossible: steal a shipment of 50,000 pounds worth of gold from a moving train. With the help of his faithful accomplice Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down) and Agar (Donald Sutherland), a talented pickpocket, Edward hatches a plan to copy the four keys needed to unlock the safe the gold is being transported in.
The Great Train Robbery is a crime drama written, directed, and based on the novel by Michael Crichton. Loosely based on real events, the plot follows Pierce and his crew as they attempt a series of daring burglaries to set up for the main event. The Great Train Robbery features a nicely elaborate plot and an impressively faithful setting. However, some peculiarities with its tone and characters will diminish some viewers’ enjoyment.
One of the major draws of The Great Train Robbery is how seemingly faithful it is to its era. Everything from the costumes to the architecture to the paraphernalia of daily living is recreated in loving detail. The heist is also firmly rooted in its era, with a plot that plays on the technology and societal circumstances of the time. With clever plans and setbacks in equal measure, The Great Train Robbery delivers the robbery it promises.
Where the movie is a little shakier is in balancing its tone. It bounces from low-stakes comedy to serious drama on a whim without fully settling on either end of the spectrum. The movie also lands in an awkward position with its characters, who are unrepentant thieves with just enough charisma to make them worth following. Between a couple of tonal leaps and heroes who are anything but, the movie can be a rockier watch than other heist films.
Give The Great Train Robbery a shot if you are a crime fan who’s willing to take the plunge into a historical setting. The work the movie puts into its setting makes it an immersive watch, while its plot brings a few new ideas to the genre. The only sticking points are its unredeemed characters and its lack of flashiness compared to heists using modern technology.
For another adaptation of a high-profile British robbery, try The Bank Job or King of Thieves. For a more modern British heist in the same vein, try Flawless. For a heist movie with a flashier style and a more comedic bent, try Ocean’s Eleven.
[6.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079240/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a detailed setting and an interesting plot.