One of the best film adaptions of any Michael Crichton novel, The Great Train Robbery is an excellent thriller with Sean Connery at his best.
Connery stars as Pierce, a man with an elaborate plan in Victorian England to execute the first train robbery in history.
Connery works with the fastest pickpocket and key replicator in the business, Agar (Donald Sutherland in a fun, great performance) and his right hand girl Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down, funny and stunning) who plays many different parts in the illusion and the plan.
This is Crichton's best film as a director and he does an excellent job adapting his own book into a fast, enjoyable, exciting thriller that will leave you smiling.
The last half hour details the robbery in real time and you will be amazed when you see the stunts that Connery pulls off. That is really him on top of that train in pre-CGI filmmaking! It's fantastic stunt work, photography by legendary cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth (2001, Superman) and music by Jerry Goldsmith. This is one of Goldsmith's best scores and knowing he wrote the scores for Coma, Damien: Omen II, The Boys from Brazil and Magic in 1978, the same year as this film, his output is pretty amazing.
Sit back enjoy this classy, funny, suspenseful and exciting Crichton classic!
It steals a solid gold A.
Comments