Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: James Marsh, Studio Canal, M 108 Minutes.
Despite receiving the Best Actor and Best Picture awards for ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2015) director James Marsh’s latest release is a real disappointment after casting the legendary Michael Caine in the lead role of this true crime drama.
This factually-based story revolves around the robbery of the Hatton Garden jewellery store in 2015 wherein some retired crooks stole millions of pounds in jewels and money and which is believed to be the biggest burglary in British history.
The mastermind is Brian Reader (Caine – ‘The Dark Knight’) a self-retired crook who manages to assemble a number of misfit criminals (beyond their retirement age) including Terry Perkins (Jim Broadbent – ‘Brooklyn’), Danny Jones (Ray Winstone – ‘Noah’) and John Collins (Tom Courtney – ‘Dad’s Army’).
In implementing his plan Brian involves Basil (Charlie Cox – ‘Eat Locals’) a young specialist in disarming burglar alarms before allocating roles for Terry, John and Danny to carry-out in the robbery, not to mention the absent-minded Billy (Michael Gambon – ‘Harry Potter’).
On completion of the operation, the group meets to divide up the spoils, at which stage their testy relationship breaks down over each person’s share, in particular between Brian and the belligerent Terry with the thuggish Danny backing Terry.
Their betrayal of Brian, based on greed, ultimately leads to all of them ending up in prison with the authorities left to locate the missing loot following a robbery considered impossible to accomplish, especially by a few old codgers.
In fact, with no record available of what was in the store, the true value of the stolen merchandise still remains a mystery.
Regrettably Marsh’s rendition of the renowned jewel robbery lacks the excitement of the ‘Oceans’ franchise and this is made worse by the slow pacing of the storyline that mainly focuses on the constant squabbling between the three main characters – Brian, Terry and Danny.
Apart from Caine’s likeable performance as the brains behind the plan, there is a distinct dislike for the boorish portrayals by Broadbent and Winstone with the overall result being a dissatisfying movie experience
Vic’s Verdict: 2 ½ Stars
