MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 1,554 this week

Bellman and True (1987)

 -  Crime | Drama  -  1 April 1988 (USA)
6.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.7/10 from 178 users  
Reviews: 4 user | 5 critic

Hiller, a computer expert, was bribed by group of bank robbers to obtain details of the security system at a newly-built bank. Having obtained the information, he thought he'd seen the last... See full summary »

Director:

Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 254 titles created 14 Apr 2011
 
a list of 121 titles created 08 Oct 2011
 
ver
a list of 2778 titles created 10 months ago
 
a list of 110 titles created 06 Oct 2011
 
a list of 62 titles created 7 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Bellman and True (1987)

Bellman and True (1987) on IMDb 6.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Bellman and True.
1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Derek Newark ...
...
Ken Bones ...
Frances Tomelty ...
...
...
Arthur Whybrow ...
Jim Dowdall ...
Peter Howell ...
Kate McEnery ...
Mo
Anne Carroll ...
...
Man with Walkman
Peter Jonfield ...
Andrew Paul ...
Edit

Storyline

Hiller, a computer expert, was bribed by group of bank robbers to obtain details of the security system at a newly-built bank. Having obtained the information, he thought he'd seen the last of the robbers. But now they've traced him and his son to London. They hold the son hostage and force Hiller to decode the information about the alarm and then to take part in the robbery. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

They kidnapped his son. They forced him to steal 14 million dollars. Then they made their biggest mistake. They trusted him.

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 April 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Bellman and True - Gangster wider Willen  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

$226,944 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (3 episodes: TV) | (VHS/DVD)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is taken from the 18th century ballad "Do Ye Ken John Peel", a song about fox-hunting. It is presumably a rather obscure allusion to the way that the bank robbers have hunted down Hiller and won't let him go again. See more »

Goofs

When the robbers' Daimler Sovereign getaway car is first seen after the robbery, its two inner headlights are smashed and are not lit. A few seconds later, when the car drives through the greenhouses, those lights are unbroken and are lit. See more »

Quotes

[Telling The Boy the story of "The Continuing Saga of Sod's Law - You Just Can't Win", an idealised but thinly-disguised version of his own life with his wife, "The Princess", who has now left him for a new lover, the owner of the Rover 2000S]
The Boy: The Princess? Was she there?
Hiller: Yeah.
The Boy: The Princess who smoked French cigarettes and was beautiful when she wasn't looking.
Hiller: We only had one rule. We didn't let anyone in who had a Rover 2000S. 2000 Smegma.
The Boy: Why?
Hiller: [bitterly] Because people with Rover 2000 Smegmas ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

The end-credits are overlaid on a long drawing that scrolls sideways, depicting Hiller's and The Boy's plane as it leaves London, flies over the Atlantic and arrives at Rio. See more »

Connections

Remade as Firewall (2006) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Brilliant British Bank Heist Movie!
10 May 2006 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I'm a huge fan of "heist" movies, a sub-species of "caper" movies. And there's something especially delicious about the British argot that makes British heist movies especially great fun. ("Sexy Beast," "The Great Train Robbery," "The General" all add to this list)

But across all heist movies "Bellman and True" is my all-time favorite. Bernard Hill gives one of his most nuanced performances as an alcoholic computer programmer who is left with his girlfriend's son ("True") when she dumps both of them. To get out of debt he's sold some information to a gang about bank security, but now he and the boy are on the run because the gang wants more than information--they want him to help plan the heist.

I won't give away anything more, but the heist itself is a white knuckle masterpiece, directed by Richard Longcraine (Richard III, with Ian McKellen, and Smiley's People, with Alec Guiness).

Through it all Russell is surrounded by more than a dozen great performances by some of the UK's finest character actors. Richard Hope as "Salto," is especially strong, as the gang member assigned to be Russell and the boy's jailer.

Trust me---the caper, which makes up the second half of the film, is worth a viewing on its own, but the strong characters and acting make it a real hidden gem of 1980s British cinema. This film jump started Longcraine's career, which recently included "Wimbledon," "My House in Umbria," and the to be released Harrison Ford thriller "Firewall."


1 of 1 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Bellman + True on TV and video markbbriggs
Missing scene in Netflix version jnaveira
This movie has stuck with me for years goodfoo
Discuss Bellman and True (1987) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?