The First Great Train Robbery

2/2/19791h 50m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Never have so few taken so much from so many. ~

Overview:

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

Director:

Michael Crichton

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$6,000,000.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

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

Cast

Sean Connery

~ as ~

Edward Pierce

Donald Sutherland

~ as ~

Robert Agar

Lesley-Anne Down

~ as ~

Miriam

Susan Hallinan

~ as ~

Emma Barnes

Alan Webb

~ as ~

Edgar Trent

Malcolm Terris

~ as ~

Fowler

Robert Lang

~ as ~

Sharp

Wayne Sleep

~ as ~

Clean Willy

Michael Elphick

~ as ~

Burgess

Gabrielle Lloyd

~ as ~

Elizabeth Trent

View full cast & crew

Reviews (3)

Wuchak
Written 5 year(s) ago
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
JPV852
Written 2 year(s) ago
8
Seen this once before many years ago but decided to check out the new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. A solid heist-thriller though what struck me was these thieves were stealing gold meant for British soldiers, so not exactly stealing from some corporation, and our lead played by Sean Connery had no issue murdering a guy. Even so, still found it entertaining and some suspense-filled scenes, among them a great sequence with Connery on top of a moving train. 3.75/5
CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
7
I think it's Jerry Goldsmith's opening theme that gives a clue that we're in for some fun antics on the railways! That's confirmed when Michael Elphick chucks some would-be robber from the speeding carriage down an embankment where he lands at the feet of "Pierce" (Sean Connery). This bowler hatted gent wouldn't have been out of place in the Reform Club at the start of "Around the World in Eighty Days", so is a natural at another gentleman's club where the manager of a bank is bragging about their impregnable transfer of gold to pay the soldiers of the Crimea. Hardly patriotic, but "Pierce" has his eyes on this bullion and so with the help of girlfriend "Miriam" (Lesley-Anne Down) and cracksman "Agar" (Donald Sutherland) sets about doing the impossible - robbing a ton's worth of gold from a moving train. Each key to the safe is kept separately, so they have to use their guile and wits to find them, copy them, and return them without anyone suspecting! It's this series of escapades that is quite fun to watch whilst shining a light on the double-standards of the Victorian elite. Can they all get away with it? Well this is one of those charismatic ensemble efforts that makes you hope that they do. There's mischief a plenty, some precision thievery and quite impressive acrobatics from the nimble Wayne Sleep along the way too. Hats off to Sutherland though. What was he doing with that cat in the coffin?