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The Great Train Robbery (1979)
"The First Great Train Robbery" (original title)

PG  |   |  Adventure, Crime, Drama  |  2 February 1979 (USA)
7.0
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Ratings: 7.0/10 from 11,030 users  
Reviews: 49 user | 21 critic

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

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(screenplay), (novel)
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Alan Webb ...
Trent
Malcolm Terris ...
Fowler
Robert Lang ...
Sharp
...
Burgess
Wayne Sleep ...
Clean Willy
...
Emily Trent
...
Elizabeth Trent
George Downing ...
Barlow
James Cossins ...
Harranby
John Bett ...
McPherson
Peter Benson ...
Station Despatcher
Janine Duvitski ...
Maggie
Edit

Storyline

Sutherland and Connery wish to rob a moving train's safe in Victorian England. They need wax impressions of keys, coffins, dead cats, and a great deal of planning in order to pull it off. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

gold | key | safe | train | bank | See All (175) »

Taglines:

Never have so few taken so much from so many.


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

2 February 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Great Train Robbery  »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| (as Dolby Sound)

Color:

(sepia colour)| (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the South Eastern Railway locomotive that got robbed was "The Folkstone Bullion Express" train. See more »

Goofs

The climactic Connery run along the car tops would have been impossible in 1855, as he would have been seen by the necessary brakemen. The train in the film uses Westinghouse brakes but these had not yet been invented. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Edward Pierce: [narration] In the year 1855, England and France were at war with Russia in the Crimea. The English troops were paid in gold. Once a month, twenty-five thousand pounds in gold was loaded into strongboxes inside the London bank of Huddleston and Bradford and taken by trusted armed guards to the railway station. The convoy followed no fixed route or timetable. At the station, the gold was loaded into the luggage van of the Folkestone train for shipment to the coast and from there to ...
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Murder, She Wrote: The Great Twain Robbery (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
(uncredited)
Music by Michael William Balfe
Lyrics by Alfred Bunn (1843)
Heard on violin offstage in bordello
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Excellent Crime Movie
18 October 1999 | by (Cleveland, OH, USA) – See all my reviews

I like heist flicks, and this is the best I've seen so far. It's got great suspense as the crew of thieves (led by the incomparable Sean Connery) makes intricate plans and patiently prepares for the big day, changing and adapting the plan as needed to cope with unexpected obstacles. There is little in the way of sub-plots; virtually all of the action and plot is part of The Plan. The Victorian setting is great; you start to wonder where Jeremy Brett (as Sherlock Holmes) is, and when he's going to catch these crooks.

I'm a little puzzled by the category of "action/comedy." I'd say this was firmly in the "crime" category, and no other.

9/10


15 of 22 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Love this film!! Loomis79
Connery's stunts rokshok183
Why did the acrobat climb the train station wall ? sherlock-37
Guys leaning on taut ropes Loose_head
Surprised they haven't remade this yet. TheOtherOne79
Superb Lesley-Anne Down's nude scene. dhervas
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