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The Great Train Robbery

1903 11m Action List
100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Bandits stage a brazen train robbery.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Freep Staff Detroit Free Press It stands out as the greatest and most sensational moving picture story ever seen in this city... the "train robbery" takes rank over [other acts] from its great novelty, its wonderful execution and its truth to a life that few have seen. Sep 13, 2021 Full Review Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight Porter’s “Train Robbery” was different and begs to be held with high esteem in the pantheon of creative, innovative and artistically relevant silent features. Rated: 4/4 Nov 26, 2022 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins By today's standards, there isn't anything remarkable about the footage, but recognizing the limitations of the art form in the early 1900s makes the imagery fascinating. Rated: 8/10 Jul 27, 2020 Full Review Film4 Staff Film4 This has proved to be the most influential of all the early US films and it was the first to tell a definite story. Jun 10, 2009 Full Review TV Guide Staff TV Guide A landmark in the development of the American film industry and the narrative form. Rated: 3/5 Jun 10, 2009 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Must see viewing for this very brief silent film, the first American movie telling a sequenced story. Rated: 4/5 Mar 21, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (258) audience reviews
Miguel G This is a historical curiosity with some cool shots for the time. It was probably meant to be seen with live narration, so it is a bit hard to follow from just the images. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/16/24 Full Review Brayden V An exciting and groundbreaking film that doesn't need dialogue to communicate its story. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review DanTheMan 2 We should make train robberies great again. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I can't think of anything to criticize about this film. It has aged extremely well and the pacing is nearly unmatched for other films of the time. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member It's historically significant. Amazing that one of the first films ever made was a YouTube How To guidebook to train robberies. If we strip aside the historical aspect, it's not very entertaining but thankfully pretty brief. That being said I've watched a lot worse modern films. You know what you're getting with this film. You're not coming here for a modern day blockbuster, it's just a curio piece and it's fine in that regard Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Much Like A Trip To The Moon, The Great Train Robbery is a perfect example of the primitiveness of the filmmaking techniques of its time, as well as the enormous impact such films had on audiences not yet accustomed to the medium. It has a more focused narrative than the aforementioned trip, a greater sense of realism, and some hilariously over the top acting, especially when someone gets shot, throws their arms in the air and collapses to the ground in as dramatic a fashion as possible. It's hard to honestly critique it since it's more than 100 years old, has little modern-day appeal and is outdated in virtually every aspect. But it was a big hit in its day, and as such deserves credit for helping to put movies on the map, during a time when few people knew how to do them properly. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great Train Robbery

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Cast & Crew

Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy 86% 69% Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy One-Percent Warrior 91% % One-Percent Warrior Danny Jigar % % Danny Jigar The Debt Collector 83% 53% The Debt Collector Aho Vikramaarka % % Aho Vikramaarka Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Bandits stage a brazen train robbery.
Director
Edwin S. Porter
Screenwriter
Edwin S. Porter, Scott Marble.
Production Co
Edison Manufacturing Company
Genre
Action
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 17, 2020
Runtime
11m