I am a real devotee of heist flicks in general and British heist flicks in particular. I had seen this a few years back and decided to watch it again.
The cast is just superb, a veritable roster of British stars, led by the estimable Jack Hawkins. The story is fine too, but alas the film winds up as less than the sum of its parts.
My main memory of the movie from my previous viewing was the armory heist at the beginning. That's part of the problem. Because so much time and detail is spent on this ancillary venture, the film becomes unbalanced and the crime itself becomes almost an afterthought.
The movie could use some snappier dialogue, and more interaction among the characters. The ending also seems just a bit abrupt and the giveaway of the crime seems a bit weak.
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did, but it never really takes off.
The cast is just superb, a veritable roster of British stars, led by the estimable Jack Hawkins. The story is fine too, but alas the film winds up as less than the sum of its parts.
My main memory of the movie from my previous viewing was the armory heist at the beginning. That's part of the problem. Because so much time and detail is spent on this ancillary venture, the film becomes unbalanced and the crime itself becomes almost an afterthought.
The movie could use some snappier dialogue, and more interaction among the characters. The ending also seems just a bit abrupt and the giveaway of the crime seems a bit weak.
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did, but it never really takes off.