THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN is a classy, black and white British caper film about a group of distinguished gentlemen who team up to commit a daring robbery. In that respect it has much in common with the likes of THE Italian JOB, although THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN could have done with a few more laughs to make it that bit more entertaining; there's a wonderful cast in this one, but it can be a slog in paces.
The script is a bit uneven at times and the pacing flags here and there, only really coming to life during the excellent heist scenes. They could have shorn 20 minutes or so off the running time to make this a more exciting production. Still, the ensemble cast is enough to keep you watching, with the likes of Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough, and Terence Alexander all excelling in their parts and plenty of smaller roles for familiar faces. A shame about that downbeat ending, though.
The script is a bit uneven at times and the pacing flags here and there, only really coming to life during the excellent heist scenes. They could have shorn 20 minutes or so off the running time to make this a more exciting production. Still, the ensemble cast is enough to keep you watching, with the likes of Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough, and Terence Alexander all excelling in their parts and plenty of smaller roles for familiar faces. A shame about that downbeat ending, though.