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Friday, December 30, 2016

The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England (1960)

In 1901 England, a group of Irish revolutionaries plot to rob the Bank Of England which has never been done before. An Irish American (Aldo Ray) is recruited by the widow (Elizabeth Sellars) of an Irish martyr to undertake and plan the venture. Directed by John Guillermin (TOWERING INFERNO), this is a modest heist film that entertains but doesn't spend much time (it runs under 90 minutes) on characterization and it does seem a bit rushed. The film's aims are accomplished and Guillermin does a decent job of whipping up some tension especially in the film's last 20 minutes. It's not an essential film but it does contain an early performance by a young on the cusp of stardom Peter O'Toole as the bank's Brigade Guard Captain and whose next film was LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. There's a romantic subplot of sorts that muddles the film and it probably would have been best to jettison it and concentrated on the specificities of the actual robbery details. With Kieron Moore, Albert Sharpe and Hugh Griffith.

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