IMDb > The Split (1968)

The Split (1968) More at IMDbPro »


IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   305 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 48% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Donald E. Westlake (novel)
Robert Sabaroff (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Split on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 November 1968 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
"Crime is our business." more
Plot:
Thieves fall out when over a half million dollars goes missing after the daring and carefully planned... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Tight, sharp, unfairly obscure little heist flick more (8 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Jim Brown ... McClain

Diahann Carroll ... Ellen 'Ellie' Kennedy

Ernest Borgnine ... Bert Clinger

Julie Harris ... Gladys

Gene Hackman ... Detective Lt. Walter Brill

Jack Klugman ... Harry Kifka
Warren Oates ... Marty Gough
James Whitmore ... Herb Sutro

Donald Sutherland ... Dave Negli
Joyce Jameson ... Jenifer
Harry Hickox ... Detective
Jackie Joseph ... Jackie
Warren Vanders ... Mason
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
USA:91 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film was the very first theatrical release to receive an R rating from the then-new MPAA's film rating system. more
Quotes:
Dave Negli: Listen, Marty, the last man I killed I did it for $5000. For $85,000 I'd kill you 17 times. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Jim Brown: All American (2002) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
A Good Woman's Love more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
Tight, sharp, unfairly obscure little heist flick, 27 January 2005
Author: Poseidon-3 from Cincinnati, OH

The cast list of this film reads like a who's who of 60's and 70's Hollywood character actors. While they don't all get a chance to really shine here, their familiar faces and inherent skills help move this heist flick along nicely. Brown is a ne'er do well thief who returns to Los Angeles just in time to help Harris mastermind the robbery of the L.A. Coliseum during a Rams play-off game. He enlists the aid of four disparate men (Borgnine, Klugman, Oates and Sutherland) who form a tenuous alliance, working as a unit just long enough to get the job done and split the $500,000 take. The heist itself is suspensefully handled and skillfully done, but the primary thrust of the story kicks in when it's time to divvy out the loot, hence the title of the film (brought home even more in the title of the source novel.) Brown, though stiff at times, is such a physical presence (and an amiable one) that he anchors the story well, faltering only when it's called upon him to enact scenes of grief. Harris is tough-as-nails as a hard, (big!) red-haired schemer. All of the men in the gang give their customary polished and distinct performances. Borgnine is, of course, the most blustery. Klugman (who would return to this venue in "Two Minute Warning") plays the nervous one. Oates gives the most texture to his role as a wary safe-cracker. Sutherland is a class-act hit man with the necessary cool and effortlessness. Carroll is very attractive in a thankless role of decoration/plot device. Hackman turns up late as the police detective assigned to a murder related to the heist and gives a decent performance. Trivia buffs will note that one of the clerks (Joseph) provided the voice of Melody in the 70's cartoon series "Josie and the Pussycats". Nearly all of the roles in the film are filled with people who worked extensively as guest stars in major television series. The film is creatively directed, contains bouncy Quincy Jones music and clips along at a very tight pace except for a mouthwash commercial-esquire romantic montage between Brown and Carroll. Some of the plot elements are pretty preposterous (such as Brown's initial sequences of "auditioning" the heist participants), but it makes for interesting viewing. The movie serves as a fun time capsule of the era's fashions and procedures (check out the hair on Borgnine's secretary!) The story is never completely predictable and is at home with other similar (if more polished and better known) films from that time such as "Bullit" and "The Thomas Crown Affair".

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (8 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Split (1968)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This is a great movie! wtl471629
Available anywhere? bullit2513
Anyone have a good DVD-R recording of this? Alwood
The Ram's Games Shown in 'The Split' gvb0907
On TV 8/21/09 !!!!! crazytrain89
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Asphalt Jungle The Anderson Tapes The Italian Job The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Cool Breeze
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Crime section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.