The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Michael G

  
  The Lavender Hill Mob, one of the Ealing Studios classics was definitely amusing and had a few hysterical moments, but I didn't love it. The humor was witty and drier than Kafka in the Sahara. The movie has a reputation of being an absolute laugh riot (at least from what… More
  The Lavender Hill Mob, one of the Ealing Studios classics was definitely amusing and had a few hysterical moments, but I didn't love it. The humor was witty and drier than Kafka in the Sahara. The movie has a reputation of being an absolute laugh riot (at least from what I've heard) but I didn't feel like the movie lived up to that expectation. Alec Guinness was as always superb, but the movie was nothing to flip out over. The 30 seconds of a young Audrey Hepburn definitely helped though...

• Antony S

  
  Brilliant Ealing comedy, this pitch-perfect crime caper stars Alec Guinness in one of his finest performances, a timid clerk who decides to claim himself a fortune with a motely crew including Ealing mainstay Stanley Holloway. The film is probably the template for all bungling crime… More
  Brilliant Ealing comedy, this pitch-perfect crime caper stars Alec Guinness in one of his finest performances, a timid clerk who decides to claim himself a fortune with a motely crew including Ealing mainstay Stanley Holloway. The film is probably the template for all bungling crime films, but mercifully lacks the slapstick of its imitators. Pacy and highly comical, this is definately worth your while. Watch out as well for Audrey Hpburn's tiny role as Chiquita in the first scene as well!

• First L

  
  Alec Guinness' other heist-comedy ("The Ladykillers") might have a slight edge over this one, but funnily enough, I prefer the actual heist from this movie. Guinness is a mild-mannered bank supervisor who oversees the gold bullion shipments for the bank of England.… More
  Alec Guinness' other heist-comedy ("The Ladykillers") might have a slight edge over this one, but funnily enough, I prefer the actual heist from this movie. Guinness is a mild-mannered bank supervisor who oversees the gold bullion shipments for the bank of England. When a frustrated artist (who makes lead paperweight replicas of the eiffel tower to sell to tourists in Paris) moves into his building, he gets an idea on how to smuggle stolen bullion out of the country. With the help of two criminal-type accomplices, the heist is planned out and executed to perfection. The police are quite perplexed and unsuspecting of Guinness, until one exceptionally clever member of scotland yard begins to suspect him. There are a few madcap chases in the movie which incorporate screwball comedy elements, but mostly the film's comedy relies on sublty rather than broad strokes. Guinness is fine, as usual, but the film itself isn't life-altering or mind-blowing in any way. Oh, it's perfectly serviceable, especially if you're looking for a mildly amusing crime-comedy, but I certainly wouldnt' call it a must-see.

• MJS M

  
  An Ealing comedy that is part comedy and part conventional heist film. The idea is that a group of misfits decide to commit a robbery if only because they needed an adventure to get away from their mundane lives. The fact that the heist participants are generally good natured people… More
  An Ealing comedy that is part comedy and part conventional heist film. The idea is that a group of misfits decide to commit a robbery if only because they needed an adventure to get away from their mundane lives. The fact that the heist participants are generally good natured people is a big part of why the movie works, and Alec Guinness is as good as ever. Ultimately it's a pretty frivolous good time, but it works pretty well and was a lot of fun.