Film Snail

The First Great Train Robbery
The First Great Train Robbery

6.7

The First Great Train Robbery

PG·1978·110m

Summary

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

Crew

Director, Novel, Screenplay

Michael Crichton

Reviews

Wuchak

Wuchak

June 18, 2020

6

_**Robbing a train of a shipment of gold in Victorian England**_

Written/directed by Michael Crichton and released in 1978/79, “The Great Train Robbery” was loosely based on the real-life Great Gold Robbery of 1855 that took place in England. Sean Connery plays the mastermind, Lesley-Anne Down his girlfriend and Donald Sutherland a safecracker with whom they team-up.

I generally don’t like caper films because the protagonists are criminals, but Crichton wisely makes the characters played by Connery and Sutherland likable rapscallions; meanwhile Down is babelicious, in particular in her jaw-dropping first scene. Crichton intentionally made the movie more farcical compared to his novel and I appreciated the wit and low-key humor. I didn’t expect to like this movie, but it won me over.

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot primarily in Ireland (Dublin, Bray, Cork & Moate), but also Pinewood Studios, England.

GRADE: B-/B

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$6,000,000.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

gallows
historical figure
victorian england
execution
noose
hanging
train robbery
strongbox
gold theft
british history
playing piano
horse carriage
19th century
death by hanging
public execution
1850s
execution by hanging
hanged woman