El día que robaron el Banco de Inglaterra

Based on Aldo Ray's fine performance in "The Day They Robbed the Bank of England" as both the brains and the muscles behind the Irish movements attempt at independence by literally breaking into the Queens bank and robbing her of their gold bullion, this black and white film could have been the impetus for the latter 1966 TV series Mission Impossible.

The film starts off a bit slow as we get to know the two main characters, the Irish American Charles Norgate (Aldo Ray) and Captain Monty Finch (Peter O'Toole) who is more than just a tad bit bored of being responsible for protecting the heavily secured vault of the Bank of England.

As the movie progresses Aldo Ray shines brighter and brighter in his lead role which in my personal opinion should have lead to his serious consideration for the lead role in the very first James Bond film, 1962's Dr. No. Aldo Ray would have been 36 years of age when Dr. No was realeased and his physical presence, burly build, steely caged eyes and sharp wit would have made him perefectly cast to play James Bond. Peter O'Toole could also have been considered to play James Bond advanced contraption expert sidekick "M".

But I digress, this 1960 black and white crime/action/suspense film may have been a low budget production but what it lacks in big budget releases such as Ben Hur, it more than makes up with fine acting, and a story line that begs that the underdog Charles Norgate (Aldo Ray) make good on his bank robbery.

I enjoyed the film immensely and I will be sure to add it as a "keeper" in my personal film library. I give this film an appreciative 8 out of 10 rating.

At the start of the 20th Century, the Fenians have decided to rob the gold bullion stored in the Bank of England, not only for the cash, but as a political statement. To accomplish this they have imported Irish-American mining-engineer-turned-bankrobber Aldo Ray. He studies the plans of the Bank when he can get his hands on them, and makes a friend of Peter O'Toole, the officer often assigned to command the unit of Guards who make sure the Bank isn't robbed at night.

Although the there's no doubt that it's American Ray in the lead, and the wealth of British performers is a pleasure, with John Le Mesurier, Elizabeth Sellars, and the always entertaining Hugh Griffith on hand, it's most notable as O'Toole's first major role, and he owns the movie with his effete, bored Guardsman who'd like to try thinking just once; when he does, it breaks his heart.

Aldo Ray is sturdy and handsome as Irish-American recruited to help a group of disparate Irish characters rob the "impregnable" Bank of England in the early 1900s. Some suspense and neat ideas in this low-keyed, minimally-budgeted MGM production (one which rarely turns up on the Turner Classics channel). There's some confusion later on about the purpose of the bank robbery and why the wily coot who started the whole thing wants to pull out, but Peter O'Toole is wonderfully intense and suspicious (and incredibly young) as the chief soldier guarding the gold bullion, and Ray is always good to watch: he's not only the leader of this operation but the driving force behind the picture as well; his quick-thinking nature is mirrored in his eyes, and he never overdoes anything (he's all business). Straight-forward drama is given good direction and the supporting cast is colorful. As for the ending...do they get away with it? You may have to buy a bootleg copy to find out! **1/2 from ****

Aldo Ray and Peter O'Toole star in "The Day They Robbed the Bank of England," a 1960 film directed by John Guillerman. Ray plays Norgate, an American who sympathizes with the Irish republican movement. To this end, he and his cronies plan to rob the Bank of England. Befriending a guard, Captain Finch (O'Toole) while in a pub, over time Norgate manages to gather many details about the layout of the bank and the whereabouts of the vault with the gold bullion.

This is the type of "caper" film very popular in the 1960s. It's a small British film and a little slow in spots, but intriguing. The Captain is one of O'Toole's early roles, so it's definitely of interest to see him.

One of my problems with this movie is the weak script - it seemed odd to me that the Captain didn't realize pretty quickly what Norgate was up to. The acting, however, is very good, with some fine character actors offering great support: Kieron Moore, Albert Sharpe, and others. The lovely Elizabeth Sellars plays the liaison with Ireland -- she was widowed as a result of the cause.

Entertaining.

This modest but proficient thriller pretty much tells you its plot in the title.It deals with an attempt by the Irish republican movement at the turn of the twentieth century to break into the vaults of the Bank of England and extract the fortune in gold bullion stored there.They call in an American -woodenly played by Aldo Ray -to mastermind the venture and he extracts key information from a Britsh officer ,an early screen role for Peter O'Toole and from a Thames vagrant with knowledge of the sewer system. The climax sees the gang tunneling under the bank in a race against the military who have begun to suspect something is amiss. Cheaply made and slackly written this is still worth watching for the parade of British character actors who pop up and add substance to minor roles and for the touch of cynicism about politics -the Irish movement having plotted the heist find it politically expedient to try and stop it when the political scene changes in their favour

Also on the plus side is its brevity -the movie is under 90 minutes and never drags