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The Great Train Robbery

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The Great Train Robbery

PG

1978

1h 51m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) is a master thief of the Victorian Era who's never found a heist he couldn't pull off. For his next criminal operation, he plans something that has never been done before: to rob a moving train. Working with a master safecracker (Donald Sutherland) and a seductive woman (Lesley-Anne Down), Pierce devises an incredibly complex plan to break into the train's safe and steal the thousands of dollars' worth of gold that are contained within.

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Critics Consensus

Laboriously paced and overly talky, The Great Train Robbery nevertheless pulls off a thrillingly staged finale anchored by winning performances from Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery.

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

Crichton is after a giggly quality as if it's being told as a pub yarn, soaked in exaggeration and acute trickery to defeat impossible hurdles, while never far from redoubtable moral lesson.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 5, 2008

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Variety Staff

Variety

Crichton's films drag in dialog bouts, but triumph when action takes over.

Jul 30, 2008

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Time Out

The characters stay largely undeveloped, while -- despite superficially peculiar features -- the robbery is stripped of the ingenious exposition of the novel.

Jan 26, 2006

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

It's a smashing piece of period escapism.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 4, 2025

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

When The Great Train Robbery works, it really works.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 27, 2024

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s an old-school caper film with a modern sense of humor. [Filmmaker Michael Crichton] brings a droll humor to the project, which the three leads play with a light touch, but keeps the caper scenes tight and suspenseful.

May 4, 2024

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Jelisije J

Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery decide to rob a train in Victorian London......whats not to love.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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Frans B

Masterpiece. Very well directed. Dialogue absolutely necessary in this story and all the actors perform very well to keep it period correct. Feel - good movie indeed and exciting enough

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

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CodyZamboni Z

Fun, exciting, amusing, clever, Fascinating in the way they get the keys, and outsmart the security measures, The surprising twists and turns and how Connery and company respond to them, Charismatic lead cast, Memorable Jerry Goldsmith score , Geoffrey Unsworth top notch cinematography, and Connery did all his own stunts,

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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nick s

Impressive sets and costumes. Competent acting. The storyline was solid enough but the movie had a few soft spots. One was that we knew the train robbery was going to happen so getting the keys was a foregone conclusion. Given that, the director spent too much time it... about half the movie. The other issue I had was the comical moments, which detracted from taking the movie seriously. The last frames in particular were a bit silly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

Full Review

Will S

A smart new edit would trim about twenty minutes, cutting excessive dialogue and the moments when it tries for comedy, and eliminate a lot of the overly-theatrical soundtrack.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

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C

I thought this movie, at times, was excessively violent. A few of the scenes were disturbing. I like the idea of a train robbery movie, but there was no one to root for. Sir Connery was good, but seemed odd portraying master thief Pierce. The train robbery seemed a little too easy, especially, making wax impressions of the four keys. I don't like making train robbers heroes. The cinematography was good. Cheers.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/17/23

Full Review

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Michael Crichton

Director

Sean Connery

Pierce

Donald Sutherland

Agar

Lesley-Anne Down

Miriam

Alan Webb

Trent

Malcolm Terris

Fowler

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Cholera Coffin

2:11

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Riding the Train

2:09

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Throwing Gold From the Train

1:43

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - A Sharp Businessman

1:37

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Transporting Gold

1:39

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - The Seduction of Fowler

2:04

The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Prison Break

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The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - 75 Seconds

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The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - The Great Escape

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The Great Train Robbery: Official Clip - Stop That Boy!

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Synopsis

Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) is a master thief of the Victorian Era who's never found a heist he couldn't pull off. For his next criminal operation, he plans something that has never been done before: to rob a moving train. Working with a master safecracker (Donald Sutherland) and a seductive woman (Lesley-Anne Down), Pierce devises an incredibly complex plan to break into the train's safe and steal the thousands of dollars' worth of gold that are contained within.

Director: Michael Crichton
Producer: John Foreman
Screenwriter: Michael Crichton
Production Co: Starling Films
Rating: PG
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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