Les clés de la citadelle

I love a good heist film and this is a good one. Those understated Brits make these quiet (note the lack of music to pump up the action) thrillers look easy. Great script, great acting, clever plot. What is it about crime films that make you root for the bad guys?

Stanley Baker made some excellant crime films in this period.Made on location,with an authentic feeling.Lots of well known actors appear in small parts.Excellent black and white cinematography,aided by tight editing.

This film grabs you from the very start. Its simple bare-bones approach emphasises the clever plot, and engaging character development. The lack of soundtrack actually heightens tension appropriately, along with deft camera work, and tight dialog.

The plot itself is clearly the major player in this ensemble, not to denigrate the cast, who do a superb job of tense interaction, with appropriate support from typical British aloofness, and clipped military tones.

The plot ducks and weaves as it unfolds before your eyes. At times you wonder the significance of a particular action, only to later admire its genius as you appreciate its subtle significance. The tension is magnificently maintained throughout.

As another reviewer has commented - the movie has you rooting for the anti-heroes right to the end!! What a splendid achievement. Worthy of the 8 stars!!

A PRIZE OF ARMS is quite similar stylistically to Stanley Baker's HELL DRIVERS, although not quite as good as that movie. It's an engaging little piece that tells of a trio of crooks who set an elaborate plan into action to rob an army payroll. The plan involves them infiltrating an army camp and posing as soldiers before they truly set the wheels in motion.

This makes for tight, focused story-telling throughout, with no time for the usual romantic sub-plots and the like to pad out the storyline. In fact, there are no actresses in the film whatsoever. The use of a flamethrower in some crucial scenes also makes for novelty value and this feels way ahead of its time in that respect.

Baker gives a dependable turn as the antihero lead and the supporting cast has also been well chosen. What's particularly interesting is the sheer quantity of future famous faces lining up to play the soldiers: Rodney Bewes, Patrick Magee, Stephen Lewis, Geoffrey Palmer, Fulton Mackay, and Michael Ripper are all present here and certainly add to the experience for British cinema fans.

I always thought this was a superb example of the tough British thrillers that were made in the 60's , along with The Helldrivers ( both of which star Stanley Baker )Gritty acting from Baker, and a great performance from a very young Tom Bell as the rather unhinged Fenner, no pop video soundtrack,no over the top special effects and filmed in black and white, perfect !

I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this movie in any format ( especially DVD ), as I only have a poor copy taped from the TV , many years ago and with the first 15 minutes missing !

Can anyone help ?