Bankraub des Jahrhunderts

This is actually quite an original heist movie, not because of its story or characters but more because of the fact that the movie is a period movie as well. The movie is set around 1900, thus making this not just your average normal bank robbers movie.

Yet the movie does not work out as good as it potentially could had. The movies takes too much time to build up to the actual heist. It makes the first halve of the movie mostly dragging and not interesting or exciting enough to watch. It even manages to throw in a love interest, which is completely redundant.

It's true that the movie only really gets off the ground once they start the break-in. From that point on the movie becomes actually quite good to watch. It only then becomes obvious that the movie its characters are actually quite interesting and its story can be actually quite clever and intriguing. A bit too late though, making this only a so-so movie, with one good second halve and one weaker first halve.

For 1960 standards its definitely a good and professional British looking movie, despite the fact that this obviously wasn't a movie with a very high budget. It knows to create a good, typical for its period, kind of atmosphere.

All of the actors in the movie are some big unknowns and none of them also really know to impress. At leas they don't leave a lasting impression. Except for the at the time still young Peter O'Toole. This actually was only O'Toole's second movie he ever appeared in but he already had his own trademark style of acting at the time. His character is also easily the best of the movie, which also makes you cheer more for him than his actual 'enemy' and main character of the bank, the professional thief and bank robber, played by Aldo Ray. Come to think of it, why should you even cheer in the first place for the movie its bank robbers? It's not like they are doing it for a good cause, which just doesn't make them the most sympathetic main characters for a movie.

Perhaps it would also had been a better movie if it was just a tad bit more entertaining. It should had paid some more attention to its 'fun', rather than its serious aspects.

A watchable movie, that however also leaves you with the feeling that it isn't as good as it truly could had been.

6/10

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A tight heist film from the 60's. The IRA is in the early days of their conflict w/mother Britain so they concoct a scheme to rob the Bank of England of a million pounds. An Irish American, played by Aldo Ray, has prior experience w/this kind of theft so he's brought in to lead a group of Paddies to pull off the job. Shot very well in black & white & acted w/rigorous aplomb, the film is 90 minutes of taut action & suspense. The only drawback is a romance that feels superfluous to the action at hand & the typical squabbles within the team which really amount to nothing as the caper is difficult enough to carry the picture across the finish line. Look for an early role by Peter O'Toole who plays a British bank official who Ray sidles to for information.

At the start of the 20th Century, the Fenians have decided to rob the gold bullion stored in the Bank of England, not only for the cash, but as a political statement. To accomplish this they have imported Irish-American mining-engineer-turned-bankrobber Aldo Ray. He studies the plans of the Bank when he can get his hands on them, and makes a friend of Peter O'Toole, the officer often assigned to command the unit of Guards who make sure the Bank isn't robbed at night.

Although the there's no doubt that it's American Ray in the lead, and the wealth of British performers is a pleasure, with John Le Mesurier, Elizabeth Sellars, and the always entertaining Hugh Griffith on hand, it's most notable as O'Toole's first major role, and he owns the movie with his effete, bored Guardsman who'd like to try thinking just once; when he does, it breaks his heart.

Aldo Ray is sturdy and handsome as Irish-American recruited to help a group of disparate Irish characters rob the "impregnable" Bank of England in the early 1900s. Some suspense and neat ideas in this low-keyed, minimally-budgeted MGM production (one which rarely turns up on the Turner Classics channel). There's some confusion later on about the purpose of the bank robbery and why the wily coot who started the whole thing wants to pull out, but Peter O'Toole is wonderfully intense and suspicious (and incredibly young) as the chief soldier guarding the gold bullion, and Ray is always good to watch: he's not only the leader of this operation but the driving force behind the picture as well; his quick-thinking nature is mirrored in his eyes, and he never overdoes anything (he's all business). Straight-forward drama is given good direction and the supporting cast is colorful. As for the ending...do they get away with it? You may have to buy a bootleg copy to find out! **1/2 from ****

For a chance to see Peter O'Toole before Lawrence Of Arabia, I would highly recommend The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England. It's a period caper film set at the turn of the last century about some Fenians attempting to rob the Bank Of England itself.

The Irish cause as personified by Hugh Griffith as acquired the services of an American Irish patriot in the person of Aldo Ray. Among his other qualifications is that of a miner if a tunnel job is needed and he surveys it and says it is.

He also cultivates Coldstream guardsman Peter O'Toole who is glad to have a new drinking companion and he furnishes all kinds of information about the bank and its security. He also begins to suspect something is terribly amiss at the bank though he can't put his finger on it.

Ray's crew consists of Albert Sharpe in his farewell performance who's more of a hindrance than a help, Elizabeth Sellars with whom he has a past and Kieron Moore who Sellars has a present. That does not make for a smooth running operation.

John Guillermin who later directed such films I liked as Death On The Nile and Guns At Batasi directed The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England at a really nice pace and brought out some good characterizations from his players. As for the job itself will it succeed is up to both the caprices of men and politics. Hugh Griffith who is one of my favorite actors and who has the wildest most expressive eyes ever in cinema represents the politics of the Irish cause and quite well.

A very nice film, The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England and for his fans a wonderful opportunity to see Peter O'Toole before he became a star.