User Reviews

The First Great Train Robbery is directed by Michael Crichton who also writes the screenplay. It stars Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, Wayne Sleep, Robert Lang, Alan Webb and Andre Morell. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth. The story is loosely based on the real Great Gold Robbery of 1855, where a rogue criminal named William Pierce and his cohorts executed the theft of £12,000 in gold from a speeding train on route to aid the British Army during the Crimean War.

A delightful period caper picture that's high on production value and fun characterisations. Split into two halves, Crichton's movie makes light of the actual crime to portray Connery and co as lovable rogues, thus hooking the viewer in to actually root for them to pull off the intricate crime. First half (well it's more two thirds of the film to be exact) details how the robbers obtained the four keys needed to get into the safe. Harder than it sounds since they are in different locations to one and other and guarded over by different officials. Naturally there are scrapes, skirmishes and obstacles to overcome during this complex operation, and no short amount of humour and tension either. Then it's on to the actual crime, which buzzes ferociously with derring do and ingenious cheek! It may have been loaded with chitter chatter and much bluffing of the way leading up to it, but the pay off is excellent and not without genuine excitement as Connery's (doing his own stunt work) Pierce and Sutherland's safe cracking Agar pull off the seemingly impossible.

Benefiting the film greatly is Crichton's attention to detail, where he thrives on the Victorian England setting. From the streets, the costumes, the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters, they all fit nicely within the narrative. Helps, too, that the cast are playing it with tongue in cheek, Connery and Sutherland are revelling in playing roguish dandies, splendidly attired facially with quality face fuzz and Down raises the temperature of Connery and male audience members alike. Probably her best ever performance, Crichton writes a good role for Down that sees her not only as a sexy head turner (it's unlikely that Victorian underwear has ever looked this sexy before in film), but also as an observant member of the gang; one who isn't too shabby on the disguise front either. Dancer Wayne Sleep is nicely cast as a fleet footed housebreaker, while Lang, Webb, Morell and Michael Elphick pitch their respective performances just right. Goldsmith's score is energetic and Unsworth's (his last film as he sadly passed away shortly after shooting it) photography is a lesson in quality without trickery.

Fanciful and tame if compared to the big budgeted actioners of today, The First Great Train Robbery none the less is testament that simplicity of plot and a keenness to entertain is sometimes all you need. 8/10

I was very surprised when I saw that "The First Great Train Robbery" was written and directed by Michael Crichton. This is because Crichton is normally associated with sci-fi and fantasy, such as "The Andromeda Strain", "Coma", "Westworld" and "Jurassic Park". But apparently in 1975, Crichton wrote a book about this actual robbery in 1855...though the film ended up being highly fictionalized, particularly the ending.

The first two-thirds of the film is very slow and meticulous. I didn't mind this too much, though I am sure this will lose a lot of viewers. My suggestion is bear with it. First, it is well crafted. Second, the look of VIctorian London is wonderful....so take time to enjoy what you are seeing. The final portion is much more exciting and concerns the robbery itself. It's amazing to see Sean Connery doing his own stunts* and the footage is incredible...and it must have been incredible to see on the big screen.

Overall, a slow and deliberate movie that is great provided you don't mind the pace or that too much of the story is fictionalized in order to make the story more cinematic. The ending, in particular, is pure fiction and the real case, though interesting, is much different.

I do have two further comments. First, the sound on this DVD was abominable...with music that is so much louder than the dialog. You really do need the closed captions in order to watch the film....it's that bad. Second, one mistake I noticed is that the 'gold' in the film was ridiculously lightweight...and seeing Connery and Sutherland EASILY tossing the bags of gold off the train (as if they were filled with newspapers or scones) was silly.

*I know that they touted how Sean Connery did the insane stunt of climbing across the moving train and he clearly did. But in a few scenes, despite the hype, I do strongly suspect that a stuntman was occasionally used...such as when Connery's character is hanging off the sides of the moving train.

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!

'The First Great Train Robbery' is about a quite impossible mission in Victorian underworld... It is about 25,000 pounds in gold bars placed in strongboxes and taken by armed security guards to the railway station...

'The First Great Train Robbery' is about the fastest pickpocket you'll ever see, a suave and daring gentleman who never tells the truth… It is also about a bunch crooks that can steal your heart with the company of a fascinating disguised mistress who suspects that her father breaks his own regulation for each morning of the shipments...

'The First Great Train Robbery' chronicles the grandeur and hypocrisy at all levels of England during the Victorian Era, and proves that the cleverness and prowess of a criminal mastermind is elevated to heroic status...

With excellent photography of Ireland beautiful countryside, and great music score by Jerry Goldsmith, plus the costumes and sets, Michael Crichton's movie gives train heist's fans the pleasure to enjoy a very entertaining period thriller

Attractive picture written and directed by Michael Crichton who based his book and movie only loosely on the actual crime committed in 1855 about stealing shipment of gold from a moving train and destined to the Crimea for British soldiers who are there fighting the Russians . In Victorian England , a brilliant trio of crooks conspire to pull off a spectacular heist ; they are formed by an elegant master criminal called Edward Pierce (boastful Sean Connery spent several days running on top of a moving train) and his accomplices , a pickpocket cracksman called Agar (Donald Sutherland) and a beautiful mistress named Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down) make a elaborate plan to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train . But the gold is stored in two locked safes that requires four separate keys to be opened . Never have so few taken so much from so many .

Based on a true incident , this intrigue-filled caper has been packed with suspense , thrills , action , stylish fun and hooks to keep interested . The film was entitled "The First Great Train Robbery" to distance it from a £2 million robbery from a mail train in 1963 which was known in the British press as "The Great Train Robbery" . The movie faithfully reflects some events of the Victorian era such as large differences of classes , public executions applauded by the assistants , carriage parades and many other things . Sensational trio protagonist who can steal your heart , as Sean Connery as a dashing mastermind , Donald Sutherland as a skill cracksman , and a gorgeous Lesly-Anne Down . Agreeable support cast such as Robert Lang , Michael Elphick , Alan Webb and Wayne Sleep ,one of Britain's premier ballet dancers, from The Royal Ballet Company , he actually did his own stunts, including scaling the Newgate prison walls, at the tremendous risk of falling and hurting himself . And it was the final film for both André Morell and Peter Butterworth, both of whom had died by the time that it was released . Thrilling and intriguing musical score by the great Jerry Goldsmith , director Michael Crichton frequently hired Jerry Goldsmith to compose the scores for his films . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth , in fact , the picture is dedicated to his memory ; being marvelously photographed against gorgeous Irish countryside . The motion picture was well directed by Michael Crichton . After giving up medicine, Michael moved to Hollywood, California, in the early 1970s and began directing movies based on his books, his first big break being ¨Westworld¨ (1973) and subsequently wrote and directed other successes as ¨Coma¨, ¨Runaway¨ and ¨13º warrior¨ until his early death by cancer at 66 years old .

The Great Train Robbery follows the standard heist movie blueprint. The team gets assembled to pull off an impossible job, they do all of the complicated prep work, then there is a last minute complication that makes it much more difficult than they expected. What stands out here is the setting, Victorian England, and the much smaller crew of thieves than usual. Most heist movies have a huge crew of 10+ characters that each need to have their characters explored. Here there is just the mastermind (Sean Connery), the pickpocket (Donald Sutherland), the girl (Lesley-Anne Downs), and the greaseman (Wayne Sleep). There are a few others, but their characters are so minor that they do not even get names. Rather than get sidetracked covering side characters, there is a strong focus on moving the plot forward that makes the entire movie more interesting.

What also stands out is the impressive stunts that were done mostly without stuntmen. Wayne Sleep really scales a wall and Sean Connery really walks across the top of a moving train. In today's CGI heavy film industry, it is refreshing to see an older movie that stays simpler with its big stunts, but they feel much realer, because they are. A lot of the movie relies on Sean Connery's natural charisma, which is the secret to a good heist movie, and Connery holds up very well compared to Clooney and Sinatra in the Ocean's movies and Newman and Redford in The Sting.

The year is 1855. The place is England. A man going by the name of Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) has his eyes on a near impossible heist. He wants to steal the Crimean gold that goes by railway from one part of England to another. Besides the fact it's guarded at the time of transit, the safe requires four separate keys that are in three separate locations. Oh yeah, and no one has ever robbed a moving locomotive before. I suppose he could Butch-Cassidy-and-the-Sundance-Kid it and force the train to stop, then blow open the safe. But this is England and no such brutish tactics will be used. This will take stealth, guile, and intelligence. In other words, it was a sophisticated operation.

This was a superb heist movie. It was clever, it was cohesive, and it was funny. I liked the pairing of Connery and Donald Sutherland. Heist movies always have to be clever and cutting edge because the mark is always super-secure and nearly impossible to breach. What sets one heist movie apart from the other is the story within and the characters. This story was straight forward and simple. There were no red herrings, no sappy side stories, and no deux ex-machinas. And the characters were very enjoyable.

This Michael Crichton film was simply excellent.

This one is fun to watch as the thieves work an intricate plan to rob a train.

The performances are terrific, but the director and the late great Geoffrey Unsworth's delightful photography bring the Victorian Era back to life. The detail is wonderful in all the sets and surroundings.

The plot is very simple, the film is focused and I found myself rooting for the thieves!

The First Great Train Robbery is a first rate, seldom seen, crime thriller with Sean Connery, Lesley Ann Downes (who impresses in corsets) and Donald Sutherland who execute an audacious train heist...in England 1855 (with a little help from Wayne Sleep). Written with forensic prescison by Micheal Crichton, it staggers me that Sean Connery could have been considered box office poison with a project of this calibre.

Makes Buster look turgid - heartily recommended.

In 1854 England, Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) plans a daring theft of a shipment of gold being transported monthly from London to Folkestone to finance the Crimean War. He recruits pickpocket Robert Agar (Donald Sutherland), his actress girlfriend Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down), and various other co-conspirators. The safe has 4 keys which must be copied. Then the gold must be stolen from a moving train.

Michael Crichton wrote the novel based loosely on the real events. He then wrote the screenplay and directed the movie. This is strictly his show, and the weakest part is his direction. The jokes are on the page but rarely translated to laughs on the screen. The pacing is ponderous. Crichton just doesn't have the directing gene. The action is right there with Sean Connery crawling on top of the train. There are some great stunts going on. Clean Willy climbing the walls is very compelling. But the tension isn't in any of these scenes. Crichton doesn't know how to film action. This movie desperately needs a better director.

Writing and directing The Great Train Robbery, Michael Crichton took much license with the facts of the story's basis, mostly to incorporate a tone of sardonic humor and mean-spirited mustachioed grinning. Sir Sean Connery has always been a great light comedian, having played Bond as a discreetly comic character. That's probably why Lazenby and Moore never totally matched him: They played 007 too orthodox. In Connery's charismatic oeuvre, master safecracker Edward Pierce is no exception.

The inimitable Donald Sutherland, playing a Victorian pickpocket and con man, is somewhat miscast as Connery's partner. He is not convincingly English, to my surprise frankly, though he does bring a new characteristic or two to virtually each film he's in, and here he's not just Connery's cohort but his foil. Leslie Ann Down plays Connery's moll and co-conspirator, and she appears to have been preordained to wear Victorian undergarments.

The plot for the heist is rather upfront: The train's safe, containing the gold, is protected with four keys, each in different hands. The challenge is to divide these holders from their keys, if possible in scenarios that serious, by-the-book Victorian gentlemen would be opposed to explaining to the police, so one aged banker is shadowed at a dogfight and another is intercepted in a brothel. There's also a Stopwatch Sequence for caper enthusiasts like me: Connery and Sutherland undergo numerous trials before endeavoring to burglarize the railway company office, and we get a gracefully stage-managed robbery effort with all the timeless taps like the guard reappearing a nanosecond after the critical moment and such.

One of the foremost amusements of this drum-tight caper is the way it's determinedly in the Victorian era. The costumes and the art direction are sincere, Crichton infuses his dialogue with undoubtedly genuine Victorian gangland wording, and, for the climactic train heist, they even constructed a whole operational train. Other gratifications: The nefarious deception used to smuggle Connery into the protected car with the gold; the chase sequence atop the train; and, certainly, the loin-scorchingly superb presence of Down, who is wryly funny in her own right.

An ornately thorough and exciting caper that parades historical accuracy in support of the tempting charisma of gentleman scoundrels up to no good. Connery and Sutherland are unscrupulous to their foundations but full of audacity and shrewdness. We're supportive of them all the way, with their dashing top hats, rustling coat-tails and panorama of facial hair.

There's a patent two-act structure to the proficient script. Crichton has a scientist's sensitivity to exactitude. First the crack team toil through the preparation phases, as they progressively appropriate indentations of the four keys necessary to unlock the safe, resulting in the heist itself on a train tearing through the British scenery. In the course of this era of steam power, it appeared a hopeless scheme. Meek, perhaps, by the wicked tempo of modern action sequences, Crichton nevertheless infuses a rousing realism with Connery mannishly performing his own stunts as he traverses the rooftop through clouds of grimy smoke, for the golden fleece.

All around, Crichton absorbs the tissue and texture of whimsical Victoriana from the bitter brick walls of the prison for Wayne Sleep's lithe prison escape to the plush, glossy furnishings of the brothel where the sexy Down slips a key from Alan Webb's frenziedly horny bank manager. But naturalism is not the approach, Crichton is after a giddy attribute like it's being told as a tall story in a pub sopping in overstatement and heightened deceit to whitewash impractical snags.

Great production values and great performances almost bring off Michael Crichton's thin plot in this 1978 film about an 1855 robbery caper. Sean Connery and Lesley Anne Down are both solid in their parts as the mastermind and his accomplice/mistress, but both are outshone by Donald Sutherland, who has the best part by far and he was never better. The film has the look and feel of mid 19th century England down pat, and if the story had leaned less on tired devices such as "the routine never varies", which is used over and over, the film would have benefited. Screenwriter/novelist Michael Crichton clearly needed a co-writer, but his stock was so high in Hollywood at the time he even persuaded United Artists to let him direct. The acrobatic moving train heist sequence is pretty spectacular, but would have been utterly impossible on a train in 1855. One other highlight is Jerry Goldsmith's score, which has to rate as one of this veteran composer's best.

Before they can rob a safe on a train, thieves must obtain four independent keys kept by three people. The schemes devised to obtain the keys are laughably simplistic, with the plan to steal the final two keys (inexplicably kept in one place) ridiculously drawn out. Attempts at humor fall flat, and the film lacks the dramatic tension necessary for a good heist movie. Crichton not only adapts his own novel, but also directs. Based on the lame evidence presented here, he's not a competent writer or director. Connery and Sutherland are not called upon to flex their acting muscles while Down doesn't appear to have any such muscles. At least the sets and costumes are nice.

Some people say that Crichton's books do not make for good movies. In this case it is not so. Crichton became fascinated with Victorian England, and was able to educate the public in a very useful way as well as write a suspenseful story. The movies does not really educate in the same way, unless you rent the DVD and listen to the director's comments. But the movie gives a very authentic feeling of Victorian England and has good pacing for the suspense aspect of it. I love movies based on true stories, and this one is one of them. We know all about exactly how it was done because the main character was caught, told the court everything, and then audaciously escaped! One really important thing that Crichton says: the great majority of crimes are never solved. Something to chew on.

This is one of those excellently made funny heist movies from the seventies.

The good: excellent acting, great suspense, good story.

Any bad? For those who long for explosions and superheroes, no this is not that kind of movie. It is a slow burning story with a slow build up, but with REAL characters.

A British heist drama; A story set in Victorian times about an accomplished crook and a master safecracker who hatch a plan to rob a British Army payroll train carrying a fortune in gold bullion. This is a neo-noir thriller with some of the most breathtaking stunts ever performed by an actor judged on the basis of danger. Sean Connery delivers a very good light comedy turn and Donald Sutherland is well cast, dovetailing well as his partner-in-crime. The mark-down is that it seems to lumber along a bit in its own deliberately simplified style, failing to sustain the tension of the robbery. All in all, good period escapism.

1978's The Great Train Robbery was written and directed by author Michael Crichton. The author of Jurassic Park. He does a competent job but it's nothing special. The movie is nearly two hours long and despite it being about a train heist it fails in the tension or thrill categories. This isn't to say that it's bad. The acting by our main trio is pretty good, the cinematography helps squeeze out what little suspense this film has and Jerry Goldsmiths music is excellent. The costumes and art direction is also quite nice.

Where this movie really fails is in its story and characters. The story just moves with little resistance. No real drama to keep us invested. There are random side plots that rarely have a conclusion and certain characters seem worthless. Was Clean Willy really necessary? The characters get the worse of it. Crichton, despite being a well known writer, forgot to develop his characters. What are the characters backgrounds? What will they do with the gold? Why is the girlfriend even still with him if he pimps her out constantly? These characters are blank sheets. I'm not saying we needed their entire life story, but some motivation and some background would have helped me care about them more. Donald Sutherland is a great actor, but he sounds about as proper British as Sean Connery.

Needless to say, this film is just alright. The positives made it more watchable for its near two hour length but I couldn't shake the bit of boredom I had watching this film. Crichton directed Westworld, a much better, thought provoking and exciting film. If your curious what the guy was like as a director, watch that film instead. I can neither recommend or condemn The Great Train Robbery. It's just so... ok. Watch it if you like the actors and setting I guess, but it's really not much.

With Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland starring in The First Great Train Robbery I thoght I would be watching a re-enactment of an actual successful robbery worth millions in gold which takes place on a moving train. Instead the film reminded me of a below standard Disney adventure film. The first half was devoted to Sean Connery who plays a guy named Pierce who fools a bunch of rich guys that he is also rich, but in the evening he goes back to his hotel room where he conspires and then sleeps with the lovely Lesley-Anne Down who plays Miriam, an accomplice for Pierce who uses her to obtain one of the four (4) keys required to open the safe's that hold a ton of gold.

As the film progresses Pierce continues to utilize other accomplices such as Donald Sutherland who plays a guy named Agar, capable of stealing your wallet without evee you feeling his hand deep in your pocket. There are other accomplices as well that Pierec brings into his train robbery plan, and this is where the story becomes silly, and lacks any suspense.

I was especially disappointed with the ending and rather than divulge any spoilers suffice to say the films ending was highway robbery.

"The Great Train Robbery" is based on a novel by Michael Crichton. It features the efforts of a band of three to rob gold kept in elaborate safes on a train leaving England to support the Crimean War. The film's costumes, elaborate sets and a score from Jerry Goldsmith are impeccable at creating a sense of Victorian England.

Sean Connery is charming as Edward Pierce, who leads the robbers. Donald Sutherland has a memorable role as Robert Agar, a top-rate thief and accomplice to Pierce. Lesley-Anne Down plays Miriam, Pierce's enchanting female companion who has no scruples about using her womanly charms.

The film follows the elaborate and interesting lengths that the gang must go to before they can even board the train. The elements of a great caper film are there: split-second decisions, tension and improvisations when plans go awry. The film also benefits from a lot of well-placed humor. "The Great Train Robbery" proves to remain interesting throughout the build up to and during the robbery.

Written/directed by Michael Crichton and released in 1978/79, "The Great Train Robbery" was loosely based on the real-life Great Gold Robbery of 1855 that took place in England. Sean Connery plays the mastermind, Lesley-Anne Down his girlfriend and Donald Sutherland a safecracker with whom they team-up.

I generally don't like caper films because the protagonists are criminals, but Crichton wisely makes the characters played by Connery and Sutherland likable rapscallions; meanwhile Down is babelicious, in particular in her jaw-dropping first scene. Crichton intentionally made the movie more farcical compared to his novel and I appreciated the wit and low-key humor. I didn't expect to like this movie, but it won me over.

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot primarily in Ireland (Dublin, Bray, Cork & Moate), but also Pinewood Studios, England.

GRADE: B-/B

Geoffrey Unsworth's sterling cinematography and Sean Connery's startling stuntwork are the only two worthwhile takeaways from this dodgy period piece that can't decide whether to be a caper comedy a la "The Sting" or a serious suspense yarn.

Edward Pierce (Connery) is an ostensibly respectable member of 1855 London society who harbors a crooked secret: He likes to steal. When he targets a shipment of gold en route via train to the British Army in the Crimea, he goes all out, enlisting the support of ace safecracker Robert Agar (Donald Sutherland) to boldly go where no crook has gone before.

Well, it's an interesting set-up, anyway. But writer-director Michael Crichton doesn't do much with it, except set up Connery for his big stunt. We see Connery, very clearly without benefit of stuntman, climb upon a moving train and duck under a series of stone bridges that could have easily decapitated him, his only safety measure apparently being the two giant brass counterweights he had nestled in his pants.

It's unforgettable viewing, yet it doesn't add a thing to the story. We know Pierce is going to make it, or the movie would have a different title. So this death-defying stunt actually manages to become somewhat tedious, even with Unsworth's sterling lenswork playing the hulking Connery against a whooshing rural countryside. This is Unsworth's last film, and boasts his signature sheen. No one captured the outdoors quite like him.

Before they break into the safe, Pierce and Agar first need to get four keys, requiring three different break-ins. Again, any suspense here is of the title-restricted variety. Some attempts at comedy are introduced, but don't get much farther than entendres of the double- and single- variety. Sutherland's Irish accent wouldn't survive a Lucky Charms casting call, while third-billed Lesley-Anne Down flashes her big blues and giggles. Beautiful she is, subtle she ain't.

A big problem for me was why to root for Pierce and his crew. Most of the film seems bent on making us like them, yet they commit some heinous acts to get what they're after. Speaking of heinous, why does Crichton subject us to a real scene of a terrier killing rats? It's not like we need it storywise. I guess it's there because Crichton thought it was properly authentic.

You do get authentic details in this movie, like criminal argot (a "betty" or "twirl" is a key, a "crusher" is a cop, a "tightener" is a drink), a public hanging, and a doss house. There's also something called a "Bateson's belfry" which Crichton apparently made up, though at least that works for the story. Crichton was a meticulous researcher who enjoyed ideas, but "Robbery" lacks the energy of his more future- oriented yarn-spinning. He's working with a real story this time, and seems uncharacteristically hemmed in by it.

Watching Connery is always worth something, but after that train scene I can't help but feel this was nearly at too high a cost. Even though he lived to make other movies, it still wasn't worth it.