The Great Train Robbery (1979)

In 1855 Victorian England, a master thief (Sean Connery) plots to steal a gold shipment from a moving train. His accomplices include his mistress (Lesley Anne Down) and a safecracker (Donald Sutherland). Directed by Michael Crichton (JURASSIC PARK), who also wrote the screenplay based on his novel, this is a leisurely heist film and Crichton takes pleasure in the details of the planning. This does tend to bog the film down a bit (a good 10 to 15 minutes could have been cut) but the meticulous detail of the Victorian setting from Maurice Carter's production design and Bert Davey's art direction to Anthony Mendleson's striking costumes compensates for the sometimes lackluster pacing. As a film director, Crichton lacks style. He's an efficient craftsman, nothing more. With the always affable Connery in the lead, Sutherland to add a bit of contrast and Down providing some eye candy, there's always something to watch. The lively score is by Jerry Goldsmith. Not memorable but good enough I suppose. With Alan Webb, Andre Morell and Michael Elphick.