The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writer:

Alan Trustman (as Alan R. Trustman)

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen	...	Thomas Crown
Faye Dunaway	...	Vicki Anderson
Paul Burke	...	Eddy Malone
Jack Weston	...	Erwin
Biff McGuire	...	Sandy
Addison Powell	...	Abe
Astrid Heeren	...	Gwen
Gordon Pinsent	...	Jamie
Yaphet Kotto	...	Carl
Sidney Armus	...	Arnie
Richard Bull	...	Booth Guard
Peg Shirley	...	Honey
Patrick Horgan	...	Danny
Carol Corbett	...	Miss Sullivan
Tom Rosqui	...	Pvt. Detective

Storyline

Four men pull off a daring daytime robbery at a bank, dump the money in a trash can and go their separate ways. Thomas Crown, a successful, wealthy businessman pulls up in his Rolls and collects it. Vickie Anderson, an independent insurance investigator is called in to recover the huge haul. She begins to examine the people who knew enough about the bank to have pulled the robbery and discovers Crown. She begins a tight watch on his every move and begins seeing him socially. How does the planner of the perfect crime react to pressure?

---

Plot Keywords:

american abroad | bank | heist | insurance investigator | bank heist | 

---

Taglines:

He was young, handsome, a millionaire - and he'd just pulled off the perfect crime! She was young, beautiful, a super sleuth - sent to investigate it!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thomas Crown, Esquire

Filming Locations:

Acorn St, Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,300,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,000,000, 31 December 1968

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation, Simkoe, Solar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve McQueen wears number 2 in the Polo Match. The number two player is one of the primary players on offense, either running through and scoring himself, or passing to Number 1 and getting in behind him for scoring or assist attempts. When playing on defense, the number two player is designated to cover the opposing team's Number 3 player. Usually, the better players on any team are the number 2 and number 3 designated players.

---

Goofs

When insurance investigator Vicki Anderson hears that Thomas Crown earns money in arbitrage, she is ignorant of the term and asks its meaning. This seems scarcely credible, given her line of work and its level of sophistication.

---

Quotes

Thomas Crown: [looks at Vicki, who is standing next to the chess table] Do you play?
Vicki Anderson: Try me.

---

Connections

Featured in Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

---

Soundtracks

Room Service
Music by Michel Legrand

User Reviews

Tense, stylish, serious

This is a film about games: the defining image, a game of chess; and then, as well, the intellectual game that robbery provides for Crown (McQueen), and the two games, professional and sexual, in which Vicki and Crown stalk each other. For these players, games are very serious and the outcome of each uncertain.

The film is of its time, but works in ours, as well and better than the recent remake. Those looking for a fast action "heist" movie will be disappointed: this film is about alienation and attraction, trust and betrayal, about working out what matters - all those eternal themes. It will appeal to those content to focus on personal chemistry unpunctuated by regular gunfire. None the less, the planning and execution of the bank robbery is cleverly done and provides sufficient impetus to drive the rest of the straightforward plot. Crown's motivations, tedium and greed, are readily understandable; Vicki's are similar. As people they are similar and evenly matched. Vicki is stylish and beautiful and, using her sexuality as well as her intellect, she is Crown's equal or better - which is not true of the remake. In the end, it is she who defines the outcome, but what it will be and why Vicki makes the choice she does are left unresolved. So, too, we remain uncertain whether the possibility truly exists, that their alienation might be healed.

The focus is clearly on the couple. Eddy Malone's role as the police detective does not extend beyond that of a Greek chorus, providing the conventional and moral reference against which the actions of the principals are to be judged. Jack Weston's Erwin, a very worried getaway driver, simply contrasts the player of the game, Crown, with the instruments with which he plays it.

The performances of the entire cast are exemplary. McQueen's clipped manner builds the tension and intensifies the effect of his weakening to Vicki's seductive moves during the chess game. The role of Vicki is perfect for Dunaway, making no great demands on her to project herself, no extended dialogue, which she does not generally manage well; but the disposition of her body, her power of gesture, and her brief, pithy statements all work brilliantly. Jack Weston produces an excellent cameo performance that pretty well had me perspiring as much as he was. Malone plays a straight role straight, the way it should be.

The split screen title sequence and passages in the film work well; they do not distract, as this technique can, but are used to capture and compress moments of action that are significant but do not require extended treatment. The Legrand soundtrack is brilliantly effective, including the long passages of real tension, without music.

This really is a great classic, a film that will endure, and those who have difficulty with it should see it again and allow themselves the time to be seduced by its low key perfection.