Tonight's Movie: The Great Train Robbery (1978) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1978), sometimes known as THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, has just been released by Kino Lorber as a Special Edition Blu-ray.

Sean Connery plays Edward Pierce, a master thief who plans the first train robbery in 1850s England. His scheme to steal a large shipment of gold from a baggage car has numerous complications, including the fact that the safe has four keys, stored in three different places.

Pierce is aided by his mistress Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down), an actress skilled at playing a variety of characters in various situations, and Agar (Donald Sutherland), a key maker and safecracker.

The story which unfolds over the course of the film's 110 minutes was written and directed by Michael Crichton, based on his own novel.

It's reasonably entertaining, given the cast and premise, yet I also found it disquieting. I suppose I was expecting something a little more lighthearted and romantic, perhaps sort of a period version of Connery's ENTRAPMENT (1999), but instead the film is quite seedy and dark. Dog fights (with rats!), a hanging, a bordello, murder, and a dead cat all figure in. This is the dark side of England.

Connery is attractive, as always, but far too enigmatic. We have no back story and no understanding of his feelings, including toward Miriam. He's quite ruthless, as a man (Wayne Sleep) who betrays him will learn, and he never tells the truth; when asked why he robbed the train, his statement "I wanted the money" is perhaps the one time he's honest. We know very little more about him when the movie ends than we did when it began.

Sutherland is amusing as Connery's exasperated righthand man but again has no real depth. Like some Agatha Christie movies, the film is more of a puzzle being laid out for viewers, with the characters its moving parts, than telling us anything more than superficial details about the people themselves.

The lovely Down, who had reached fame as Georgina on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS in the mid '70s, comes off best and is the most entertaining as a master of disguises and accents.

Although Down made a small handful of memorable films, including THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976), her film career never really took off. She saw U.S. TV success in NORTH AND SOUTH I and II in the mid '80s and has continued to act, most recently playing Margaret Thatcher in the upcoming REAGAN (2023).

All in all, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY is an entertaining film which held my attention, but it has a rather dark aftertaste and I suspect one viewing will be enough for me.

The movie was filmed by Geoffrey Unsworth and scored by Jerry Goldsmith.

The Blu-ray looks good, if not particularly noteworthy, and has a sharp soundtrack.

Kino Lorber's Special Edition Blu-ray includes a cardboard slipcase and reversible cover art. Extras imported from an older Kino Lorber DVD include the trailer, TV spots, and a commentary track by writer-director Crichton. The set also includes a gallery of five additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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