After a few years in the sci-fi world, Michael Crichton took a break from sci-fi to write and adapt a heist comedy, The Great Train Robbery.

Kino Lorber released a Special Edition Blu-ray last year. Of course, it’s bittersweet watching the film days after the passing of Donald Sutherland. Anyway, the film may be a heist comedy but it comes with its own share of action and suspense. If you know anything about film history, you already know that the 1903 silent film is historic for inspiring the Warner brothers and more. Crichton borrows two scenes from the film, including Sean Connery’s Edward Pierce on top of train’s coach roofs. Of course, Crichton’s book and both films draw inspiration from the Great Gold Robbery of 1855.

Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) is a member of London’s high society but the man has a secret in that he is also a thief. He comes up with a plan to steal gold bars from a railroad payroll car. But to pull this off, he brings in a pickpocket and safecracker, Robert Agar (Donald Sutherland), and his own mistress, Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down). Everything has to go right, down to the smallest detail, in order to pull it off. I would say that there’s a lot of suspense but given the title, we know exactly what we’re getting. It is not so much a case of what happens but how it happens. The sad part being that it takes forever to see them get on the train and start their gold robbery.

Not surprisingly, Connery does his own stunts in the film while the train was moving between 40-50 miles per hour. After all, he was not even a decade removed from his final James Bond film for ION. Funny enough, he initially turned down the film before reading the novel and meeting Crichton.

As a filmmaker, this marked the first theatrical film Crichton directed that was based on one of his novels. He previously directed a TV movie for ABC based on a novel written under a pseudonym. In adapting his own book for the screen, Crichton made some changes for the better, telling The New York Times while promoting the film:

“I like to do the book and vary it a bit for the film. With this story, the book was straight, factual, but the movie is going to be close to farce.”

Behind the scenes, Oscar-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth lenses the film. Oscar-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith returned to collaborate with Crichton following two prior films.

When The Great Train Robbery works, it really works.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Michael Crichton
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Michael Crichton
CAST: Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, with Alan Webb, Malcolm Terris, Robert Lang, Wayne Sleep, Michael Elphick, Gabrielle Lloyd, Pamela Salem

United Artists released The Great Train Robbery in theaters on December 14, 1978. Grade: 3.5/5

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