The Great Train Robbery (1979)
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78% of critics liked it
(23 reviews) -
66% of users liked it
(7,673 ratings)
Not a remake of the landmark 1903 Edwin S. Porter film, The Great Train Robbery is a dramatization of the famous first hold-up of a moving train in 1855 England. The conspirators in this undertaking are Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), Agar (Donald Sutherland) and Clean Willy (Wayne Sleep). Pierce is… More Not a remake of the landmark 1903 Edwin S. Porter film, The Great Train Robbery is a dramatization of the famous first hold-up of a moving train in 1855 England. The conspirators in this undertaking are Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), Agar (Donald Sutherland) and Clean Willy (Wayne Sleep). Pierce is the brains, Clean Willy the brawn, and safecracker Agar provides the finesse. The scheme involves stealing a shipment of gold bars intended to be used in the payroll for the Army in the Crimean War. Lesley Anne Down co-stars as Miriam, the woman on the outside who arranges Connery's getaway. When released in England, this film was titled The First Great Train Robbery, so as not to be confused with Britain's embarrassing 1963 railroad heist. Director Michael Crichton adapted the story from his own, more-clinical novel on the same subject. Filmed in Ireland, The Great Train Robbery was dedicated to the memory of its director of photography, Geoffrey Unsworth, who died shortly after the production wrapped. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Crichton
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Feb 2, 1979 Wide
- On DVD
- Jul 28, 1998
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Crichton's films drag in dialog bouts, but triumph when action takes over.
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, Time Out
The characters stay largely undeveloped, while -- despite superficially peculiar features -- the robbery is stripped of the ingenious exposition of the novel.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
he climactic heist of the gold, with Mr. Connery climbing atop the moving railroad cars, ducking under bridges just before a possible decapitation, is marvelous action footage that manages to be very funny as it takes your breath away.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Connery is one of the best light comedians in the movies, and has been ever since those long-ago days when he was James Bond.
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Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
Crichton is after a giggly quality as if it's being told as a pub yarn, soaked in exaggeration and acute trickery to defeat impossible hurdles, while never far from redoubtable moral lesson.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Sean Connery
as Edward Pierce
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Donald Sutherland
as Agar
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Lesley-Anne Down
as Miriam
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Wayne Sleep
as Clean Willy
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Malcolm Terris
as Henry Fowler
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Michael Elphick
as Burgess
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Alan Webb
as Edgar Trent
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Robert Lang
as Inspector Sharp
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Pamela Salem
as Emily Trent
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Gabrielle Lloyd
as Elizabeth Trent
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James Cossins
as Inspector Harranby
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Peter Benson
as Station Dispatcher
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Janine Duvitski
as Maggie
- Brooke Adams
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Patrick Barr
as Burke
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Agnes Bernelle
as Woman on Platform
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John Bett
as McPherson
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Peter Butterworth
as Putnam
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Donald Churchill
as Prosecutor
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George Downing
as Bralow
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Brian Glover
as Captain Jimmy
- Donald Hewlett
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Noel Johnson
as Connaught
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André Morell
as Judge
- Derry Power
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Hubert Rees
as Lewis
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Clive Swift
as Mr. Chubb
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Jenny Till
as Woman on Stand
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Paul Kernber
as Second Pickpocket
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Oliver Smith
as Ratting Assistant
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Joe Cahill
as Rail Guard
- Cecil Nash
- Craig Stokes
- John Altman
