The Day They Robbed the Bank of England

source: The Day They Robbed the Bank of England

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England

One excellent John Guillermin's feature, underrated one, like a diamond or gold nugget remained hidden in the mud. Not really a crime movie but a heist one for sure. And there is in this film some spirit, atmosphere very unique. Much suspense and thrill. Aldo Ray is really impressive, convincing in a very sympathetic and desperate role, ambivalent, poignant. Watch out for the last glance between him and the lady from IRA, when he probably thinks she denounced them to the authorities. But maybe not.... Excellent. I have confounded this film with LEAGUE OF THE GENTLEMEN, another heist UK film from this period, and I know why, because in both you have Kieron Moore.

This movie is enjoyable, even if the story is lacking of complexity, you will like it if you are looking for a short movie to watch in family, but not if you want a really mind-blowing or epic movie such as Lawrence of Arabia.

A tight heist film from the 60's. The IRA is in the early days of their conflict w/mother Britain so they concoct a scheme to rob the Bank of England of a million pounds. An Irish American, played by Aldo Ray, has prior experience w/this kind of theft so he's brought in to lead a group of Paddies to pull off the job. Shot very well in black & white & acted w/rigorous aplomb, the film is 90 minutes of taut action & suspense. The only drawback is a romance that feels superfluous to the action at hand & the typical squabbles within the team which really amount to nothing as the caper is difficult enough to carry the picture across the finish line. Look for an early role by Peter O'Toole who plays a British bank official who Ray sidles to for information.

It's 1901 London. A group of Irish revolutionaries at the behest of the IRA plan to rob the Bank of England in a strike against British rule. Charles Norgate (Aldo Ray) is an Irish-American who leads the effort. He was recruited by Iris Muldoon, a widow of the cause. The bank seems impenetrable and there are no easy way to strike a big enough blow. Norgate is able to befriend Lt. Monte Fitch (Peter O'Toole), one of the military soldiers guarding the bank. The first half is trying to find the Bank's weakness. The second half is the caper. I like the second half much better. Capers are always better in the execution. There is an acting standoff with Aldo Ray going against Peter O'Toole. Ray has the makeup of a muscle head football player. The performance is limited especially compared to O'Toole. The romantic melodrama doesn't take off. I'm a sucker for good capers and the second half helps fulfil that need.

I just saw The day they robbed the Bank of England. It is not a bad film. I think it was very low budget. I have no idea whether the story is true, but at times it was very suspenseful. Peter O'Toole gives a splendid and convincing performance. He was more at ease in this film than any other film that I have seen him. Aldo Ray, who is the main character, at times looks wooden and does not look like someone who cares for Ireland or a woman or anything. I recommend it if it is on TV and for 1 1/2 of relaxation.

Enjoyed this B&W film from the 60's and the great acting of Aldo Ray,(Norgate),"Terror Night",'87, who planned a very interesting bank robbery which I thought could never be accomplished. Elizabeth Sellars,(Iris Muldoon),"Jet Storm",'59, gave a great supporting role trying to give aid and good judgment to a bunch of robbers in a back breaking bank robbery! Peter 0'Toole(Captain Fitch," Troy",'04, was an outstanding military officer who had a keen sense of alarm when the gaslights started to dim in the passageways. I never saw bank robbers who took on such a horrible way about robbing a bank, my back was giving me trouble after viewing this picture. If you want to see a very young Peter O'Toole at his best, catch this film on TV sometime!

An enjoyable film. Low budget, however, the film does not suffer in the least. Typical of this era of British films, with a solid American actor (Aldo Ray), as the lead. Broody, but not really convincing. Good acting by Albert Sharpe played "Tosher". Cameos aplenty from stock actors. First time seeing Peter O'Toole in a supporting role, playing the guards officer in charge of security at the Bank. In my opinion he stole the show, if you will pardon the pun. I see that the film is based on a novel, so wishful thinking as far as the plot goes. I was born and now work in the City of London, so I know that there was obviously a lot of research concerning the sewers and the streets above them. This made the film even more enjoyable.

Aldo Ray is sturdy and handsome as Irish-American recruited to help a group of disparate Irish characters rob the "impregnable" Bank of England in the early 1900s. Some suspense and neat ideas in this low-keyed, minimally-budgeted MGM production (one which rarely turns up on the Turner Classics channel). There's some confusion later on about the purpose of the bank robbery and why the wily coot who started the whole thing wants to pull out, but Peter O'Toole is wonderfully intense and suspicious (and incredibly young) as the chief soldier guarding the gold bullion, and Ray is always good to watch: he's not only the leader of this operation but the driving force behind the picture as well; his quick-thinking nature is mirrored in his eyes, and he never overdoes anything (he's all business). Straight-forward drama is given good direction and the supporting cast is colorful. As for the ending...do they get away with it? You may have to buy a bootleg copy to find out! **1/2 from ****