Topkapi (1964) 7.0
Caper film about the theft of a jeweled dagger from an Istanbul museum. Director:Jules Dassin |
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Topkapi (1964) 7.0
Caper film about the theft of a jeweled dagger from an Istanbul museum. Director:Jules Dassin |
|
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Melina Mercouri | ... | ||
| Peter Ustinov | ... | ||
| Maximilian Schell | ... | ||
| Robert Morley | ... | ||
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Jess Hahn | ... |
Hans Fisher
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Gilles Ségal | ... |
Giulio the Human Fly
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| Akim Tamiroff | ... |
Gerven the Cook
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Titos Vandis | ... |
Harback
(as Titos Wandis)
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Ege Ernart | ... |
Maj. Ali Tufan
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Senih Orkan | ... |
First Shadow
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Ahmet Danyal Topatan | ... |
Second Shadow
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Joseph Dassin | ... |
Josef
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Despo Diamantidou | ... |
Voula
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A small-time con-man with passport problems gets mixed up with a gang of world-class jewelry thieves plotting to rob the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. Turkish intelligence, suspecting arms smuggling, gets involved, and under pressure the con-man rises to heights he'd never dreamed of. Written by David Carroll <davidc@atom.ansto.gov.au>
Jules Dassin directed the classic hard-boiled 'Rififi' in the mid-50s. Ten years later he's at the heist genre again, but 'Topkapi' is a very different kind of movie. Gone is the realism and darkness of 'Rififi', which influenced many subsequent crime thrillers. Instead we have a good old fashioned adventure, which is quite tongue in cheek and very colourful and fun. The eclectic ensemble cast are all very good - Dassin's wife Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, and especially a knockout performance from Peter Ustinov, an actor I usually have little time for. The robbery sequence was "borrowed" thirty years later by Brian De Palma for 'Mission Impossible', but 'Topkapi' is the better of the two movies by far.