The Burglars (1971)

In 1970s Athens a group of professional burglars plan an emerald heist from the home of a gem collector but the corrupt Greek police inspector Abel Zacharia is on their trail.

Director:

Henri Verneuil

Writers:

Henri Verneuil (scenario), Vahé Katcha (scenario)

Stars:

Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, Dyan Cannon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Azad
Omar Sharif	...	Abel Zacharia
Dyan Cannon	...	Lena Gripp's
Robert Hossein	...	Ralph
Nicole Calfan	...	Hélène
Myriam Feune de Colombi	...	Isabelle Tasco (as Myriam Colombi)
Raoul Delfosse	...	Le gardien de la villa Tasco
José Luis de Vilallonga	...	Tasco
Renato Salvatori	...	Renzi

Storyline

In 1970s Athens a group of professional burglars led by Azad plan a daring burglary. The victim is the rich gem merchant Mister Tasco. The treasure to be plundered is Mister Tasco's sumptuous emerald collection. The break-in team neutralize the villa's guard, enter the premises and locate the safe. Their sophisticated safe-cracking tools allow the burglars to break the safe open and steal the emeralds. During the caper a lone Greek policeman notices the burglars' car parked outside the Tasco residence and becomes suspicious. When Azad pretends to tinker with the getaway car's engine the Greek cop pretends he believes him. In fact, the Greek Police inspector Abel Zacharia suspects a burglary is taking place but decides to play along in order to allow the burglars to complete their mission. However, the corrupt Greek cop intends to arrest the criminals later and to steal the emeralds for himself. A cat and mouse chase ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

buried alive | burglar | emerald | police | heist | 

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Taglines:

Catch the burglars !

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller | Action

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Burglars

Filming Locations:

Corfu Island, Greece

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Films, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 113 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is never actually stated where this film takes place. This may be because Greece, which obviously is the setting, was at the time ruled by a military dictatorship following the coup of 1967 (the dictatorship was overthrown, and democracy restored, in 1974).

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Goofs

Just before the car chase begins, Abel Zacharia is following the burglars around the docks. They act like they don't see him until they find their ship dry-docked, but in every scene he is the only car around besides them, is clearly very close to them watching them, and follows them closely. It would take a blind person to not notice they were being followed.

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Connections

Referenced in Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (2012)

User Reviews

Good Action Movie

The Burglars is a good entertaining movie to watch during leisure hours. The futile but reckless car chase sequence is compelling and Belmondo vs Omar Shariff is an exciting combination.

Inspite of all the coercion and blackmailing by Zacharia (played by Shariff), the scoundrel played by Belmondo manages to escape at the end and the cop had to grapple in a heap of wheat flow in a silos tank. The theme music produced by Ennio Morricone has a subtle and beguiling tinge of danger and suspense.

This movie is a much better entertainment than watching "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "The Mummy" or the recent "2012 end of the world" which can only be enjoyed by people sporting puerile imagination and fictional taste. A show of death and destruction, creepy images and fiction superimposed by computer animation and special effects does not correspond to good movie making.