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IMDbPro

The Great Train Robbery

Original title: The First Great Train Robbery
  • 19781978
  • PGPG
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
18K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,531
10,513
Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.
Play trailer3:00
1 Video
42 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Crime
  • Drama
England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right peo... Read allEngland, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
18K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,531
10,513
  • Director
    • Michael Crichton
  • Writer
    • Michael Crichton(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Sean Connery
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Lesley-Anne Down
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Crichton
  • Writer
    • Michael Crichton(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Sean Connery
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Lesley-Anne Down
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 76User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:00
    Trailer

    Photos42

    Lesley-Anne Down in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Donald Sutherland in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery and Lesley-Anne Down in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery and Lesley-Anne Down in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down in The Great Train Robbery (1978)
    Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland in The Great Train Robbery (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sean Connery
    Sean Connery
    • Pierceas Pierce
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Agaras Agar
    Lesley-Anne Down
    Lesley-Anne Down
    • Miriamas Miriam
    Alan Webb
    Alan Webb
    • Trentas Trent
    Malcolm Terris
    Malcolm Terris
    • Fowleras Fowler
    Robert Lang
    Robert Lang
    • Sharpas Sharp
    Michael Elphick
    Michael Elphick
    • Burgessas Burgess
    Wayne Sleep
    • Clean Willyas Clean Willy
    Pamela Salem
    • Emily Trentas Emily Trent
    Gabrielle Lloyd
    Gabrielle Lloyd
    • Elizabeth Trentas Elizabeth Trent
    George Downing
    • Barlowas Barlow
    James Cossins
    James Cossins
    • Harranbyas Harranby
    John Bett
    • McPhersonas McPherson
    Peter Benson
    Peter Benson
    • Station Despatcheras Station Despatcher
    Janine Duvitski
    Janine Duvitski
    • Maggieas Maggie
    Brian de Salvo
    • Trent's Butleras Trent's Butler
    • (as Brian De Salvo)
    André Morell
    André Morell
    • Judgeas Judge
    • (as Andre Morell)
    Donald Churchill
    Donald Churchill
    • Prosecutoras Prosecutor
    • Director
      • Michael Crichton
    • Writer
      • Michael Crichton(screenplay by) (based on his novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer and director Michael Crichton based his book and movie, only loosely on the actual crime committed in 1855. In real-life, there were four criminals: Pierce, Agar, the railway guard Burgess, and a railway clerk named Tester. All four keys were kept on railway premises, two in London, and two in Folkestone. They were stolen temporarily by Tester and Pierce, respectively, so that Agar could duplicate them, but it turned out that the Folkestone keys were not being used anyway. The guard's van was not locked from the outside; Pierce and Agar were let in by Burgess, and a share of the loot was handed out to Tester, at stations. None of the criminals were spotted at once; it was several months before the railway conceded that the crime must have occurred on the train. The details came to light after Agar had been convicted in an unrelated crime, and his accomplices decided to steal his share instead of using it, as he had asked, to provide his mistress an income. She got word to him, and he turned Queen's Evidence against the others, and told all. At no point in the case, did anyone escape from custody.
    • Goofs
      If you look carefully, it's easy to see that the four keys requiring all of this work are just two pairs of duplicate keys - and, to any locksmith, it's obvious that the keys shown are for lever locks. Not only are they pretty easy to pick (even back then), the extensive waxing procedure shown to duplicate the keys wouldn't have been necessary - one side of the key is all that's needed for a copy.
    • Quotes

      Judge: [Judgementally] Now, on the matter of motive, we ask you: Why did you conceive, plan and execute this dastardly and scandalous crime?

      Edward Pierce: I wanted the money.

      [the court spectators roar with laughter]

    • Alternate versions
      Under the terms of the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 all UK versions of the film are cut by 32 secs with edits to a scene where a dog hunts and kills rats in a show arena ('ratting').
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The Brink's Job/Hardcore/The Warriors/Quintet/The Great Train Robbery (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
      (uncredited)

      Music by Michael William Balfe

      Lyrics by Alfred Bunn (1843)

      Heard on violin offstage in bordello

    User reviews76

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Ocean's 1855
    The very least you can say about Michael Crichton (1942-2008) is that he was an extremely intelligent, versatile and busy worker! He studied journalism, anthropology and medicine, to eventually become Sci-Fi/thriller novelist, screenwriter and director. His studies and interests certainly explain the themes and range for most of his novels and screenplays, but there are still several odd and rather unlikely achievements in his repertoire. "The Great Train Robbery" is probably the oddest of the bunch. After grim and scholarly Sci-Fi stories like "The Andromeda Strain", "Westworld", "The Terminal Man" and "Coma", I don't think anybody expected Crichton to come up with a light-headed Victorian period piece about the infamous 1855 train heist.

    Sean Connery's character has decided for himself that he will pull off what no other thief has even properly attempted to do, namely steal a large amount of government gold from a massively secured safe on a moving train. He receives help from the lewd Lesley-Ann Down, who merely just uses her feminine charms and bodily trumps, and the self-acclaimed fastest key runner in the country; Donald Sutherland. Together they must figure out how to unnoticedly get hold of four separately secured keys to the safe, and then still find a solution to break into the guarded bank wagon and get out the loot. "The Great Train Robbery" reminded me very much of "Ocean's 11". I haven't seen the 1960 original, starring Frank Sinatra, but it isn't unthinkable that Steven Soderbergh also took some ideas from this film whilst he was preparing the 2001 remake. Connery's witty charms and small talks to infiltrate into high-society families, the grotesquely detailed schemes to plagiarize the keys, the acrobatic con-artist, the meticulously timed simulations, ... These are all scenes that could come straight out of "Ocean's 11".

    "The Great Train Robbery" is a well-made, nicely acted and overall reasonably entertaining period film. It does have several defaults, though, notably that Crichton cannot seem to decide whether he wants his film to be a comical crime caper or a suspenseful heist movie. Certain parts are particularly bleak (like the dog-fighting, the execution, etc...) but mostly it's tongue-in-cheek, so the film kind falls in between genres. The Robin Hood styled ending also feels very forced. The Victorian costumes and decors look great, Jerry Goldsmith's score is exhilarating and both Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland put down pleasant performances, all of which still makes "The Great Train Robbery" recommended viewing!
    helpful•6
    0
    • Coventry
    • Feb 28, 2019

    FAQ7

    • What is 'The Great Train Robbery' about?
    • Is "The First Great Train Robbery" based on a book?
    • Where is Crimea?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 2, 1979 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Der erste große Eisenbahnraub
    • Filming locations
      • Trinity College, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis Company
      • Starling Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,027,857
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $391,942
      • Feb 4, 1979
    • Gross worldwide
      • $13,027,857
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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