England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right peo... Read allEngland, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- John - Trent's Butler
- (as Brian De Salvo)
- Judge
- (as Andre Morell)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter and director Michael Crichton based his book and movie, only loosely on the actual crime committed in 1855. In real-life, there were four criminals: Pierce, Agar, the railway guard Burgess, and a railway clerk named Tester. All four keys were kept on railway premises, two in London, and two in Folkestone. They were stolen temporarily by Tester and Pierce, respectively, so that Agar could duplicate them, but it turned out that the Folkestone keys were not being used anyway. The guard's van was not locked from the outside; Pierce and Agar were let in by Burgess, and a share of the loot was handed out to Tester, at stations. None of the criminals were spotted at once; it was several months before the railway conceded that the crime must have occurred on the train. The details came to light after Agar had been convicted in an unrelated crime, and his accomplices decided to steal his share instead of using it, as he had asked, to provide his mistress an income. She got word to him, and he turned Queen's Evidence against the others, and told all. At no point in the case, did anyone escape from custody.
- GoofsIf the gold shipment was solely to pay British soldiers in Crimea, as asserted, it would have been in the form of barrels of gold coins, not gold bars as shown.
- Quotes
Judge: [Judgementally] Now, on the matter of motive, we ask you: Why did you conceive, plan and execute this dastardly and scandalous crime?
Edward Pierce: I wanted the money.
[the court spectators roar with laughter]
- Crazy creditsCóras Iompair Éireann is misspelled in the end titles with an accent over the 'C' instead of the 'o'.
- Alternate versionsUnder the terms of the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 all UK versions of the film are cut by 32 secs with edits to a scene where a dog hunts and kills rats in a show arena ('ratting').
- SoundtracksI Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
(uncredited)
Music by Michael William Balfe
Lyrics by Alfred Bunn (1843)
Heard on violin offstage in bordello
The first two-thirds of the film is very slow and meticulous. I didn't mind this too much, though I am sure this will lose a lot of viewers. My suggestion is bear with it. First, it is well crafted. Second, the look of VIctorian London is wonderful....so take time to enjoy what you are seeing. The final portion is much more exciting and concerns the robbery itself. It's amazing to see Sean Connery doing his own stunts* and the footage is incredible...and it must have been incredible to see on the big screen.
Overall, a slow and deliberate movie that is great provided you don't mind the pace or that too much of the story is fictionalized in order to make the story more cinematic. The ending, in particular, is pure fiction and the real case, though interesting, is much different.
I do have two further comments. First, the sound on this DVD was abominable...with music that is so much louder than the dialog. You really do need the closed captions in order to watch the film....it's that bad. Second, one mistake I noticed is that the 'gold' in the film was ridiculously lightweight...and seeing Connery and Sutherland EASILY tossing the bags of gold off the train (as if they were filled with newspapers or scones) was silly.
*I know that they touted how Sean Connery did the insane stunt of climbing across the moving train and he clearly did. But in a few scenes, despite the hype, I do strongly suspect that a stuntman was occasionally used...such as when Connery's character is hanging off the sides of the moving train.
- planktonrules
- Dec 4, 2020
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Der große Eisenbahnraub
- Filming locations
- Cork Kent station, Glanmire Road, Cork, County Cork, Ireland(Brighton station)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $13,027,857
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $391,942
- Feb 4, 1979
- Gross worldwide
- $13,027,857
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1