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The First Great Train Robbery

The First Great Train Robbery

Thriller · Adventure · Drama · 1978

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

Movie details

The First Great Train Robbery

“Never have so few taken so much from so many.”

1978 Thriller · Adventure · Drama 1h 50m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The First Great Train Robbery?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Organization

The Organization

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Red Corner

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An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.

Rob Roy

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In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced into a Robin Hood lifestyle to defend his family and honour.

Robbery

Robbery

Crime · 1967

In this fictionalised account of the Great Train Robbery, career criminal Paul Clifton plans an audacious crime: the robbery of a mail train carrying millions in cash.

The Rise

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After being released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, Harvey Miller has revenge on his mind. He recruits his three best friends to help him rob the local drug kingpin whose betrayal put him away in the first place.

Flawless

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A female executive and a night janitor conspire to commit a daring diamond heist from their mutual employer, The London Diamond Corporation.

The Night of the Hunter

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In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

North West Frontier

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In the rebellious northern frontier province of colonial India, British Army Captain Scott, a young prince and the boy's governess escape by an obsolete train as they are relentlessly pursued by Muslim rebels intent on assassinating the prince.

Gosford Park

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Drama · 2001

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michael Crichton

Written by

Michael Crichton

Sean Connery

Sean Connery

Edward Pierce

Donald Sutherland

Donald Sutherland

Robert Agar

Lesley-Anne Down

Lesley-Anne Down

Miriam

Peter Butterworth

Peter Butterworth

Putnam

Michael Elphick

Michael Elphick

Burgess

Alan Webb

Alan Webb

Edgar Trent

Robert Lang

Robert Lang

Sharp

Court is in session

Put The First Great Train Robbery on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.