cult film freak: PETER O'TOOLE IN 'THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND'

Written by James M. Tate / 7/16/2020 / No comments / aldo ray , british new wave , caper , elizabeth sellars , england , heist , john guillermin , kieron moore , peter o'toole , sixties , thriller

PETER O'TOOLE IN 'THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND'

7/16/2020 | No comment

Year: 1960

In this classy, turn of the Century-set British heist film, Aldo Ray plays an American joining with would-be Irish Revolutionaries to knock off the titular location, and the best moments occur in the planning stages as the giant Yank learns the innards of the immense, seemingly impenetrable bank-fortress from a personal tour by Peter O'Toole, playing an extremely nice lieutenant of the bank's troop of marching guards...

Robbed the Bank of England SCORE: ****

O'Toole's not the main star but has a genuine arc: his affable persona, giving away any and all secrets to an all-ears thief feigning style and class, sharpens as he begins to catch on during the crest of the second act, intensifying into a more familiar, edgy and intense character for O'Toole to embrace (and that he'd play later on).

Meanwhile, the pace slows during a filler romance between Ray and the only female plotter, and the most time's spent during the usual digging of the tunnel — the kind you mostly see in prison films breaking out while here they're attempting to break in: And the cast also includes veteran actor Albert Sharpe as a sewer dwelling bum that unknowingly provided the groundwork; Kieron Moore as the mouthiest and youngest Irishman, a thankless role and the only antagonist of sorts; and Elizabeth Sellers as the pouty (and much too old) ingenue in this semi-obscure gem directed by John Guillermin, and that famously laid the groundwork for O'Toole's career: After viewing one scene, David Lean knew he had his LAWRENCE OF ARABIA despite the dark features and a straight, hawkish nose that would soon be altered.

Peter O'Toole in THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

Aldo Ray Peter O'Toole Aldo Ray The Day They Robbed The Bank of England Peter O'Toole Aldo Ray

Kieron Moore with Albert Sharpe and Aldo Ray in The Day they Robbed the Bank of England

Peter O'Toole catches on in THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

Peter O'Toole admiring Aldo Ray's fishing skills in THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

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Tags : aldo ray , british new wave , caper , elizabeth sellars , england , heist , john guillermin , kieron moore , peter o'toole , sixties , thriller

James M. Tate

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