Gros coup à Pampelune

This is a very enjoyable movie, especially for fans of Stephen Boyd and Yvette Mimieux. It isn't grim or gloomy or dark; it has that polish and cheerful charm that distinguished a number of fine 1960's films, such as Charade, Arabesque, Our Man in Marrakesh and The Prize. It may not be quite at the level of the best of those, but it was made in the same spirit: some adventure, a handsome leading man and lady, but without the huge, over-the-top effects, big budgets and set piece scenes of the James Bond movies, with which other films such as this could not compete.

Fans should know that as of now, there is both a Blu-ray and dvd available of this movie. This is especially welcome news for Stephen Boyd fans! Boyd is very good in his role here and is a pleasure to watch. This is a classy movie worth seeing.

Stephen boyd is peter, who confesses to his girlfriend that during the war, he was part of the crew who robbed banks to rebuild cathedrals which had been destroyed by the enemy. It's no coincidence that his last name is "churchman". Grace and angela (yvette mimieux, giovanna ralli) have reasons of their own for being involved. Mimieux was in SO many euro films. This must have been a pretty big budget film, since the wardrobes are by edith head. The story is pretty good, but there's just some chemistry missing between the actors. Some twists and turns. Boyd has a rather cardboard delivery, which takes away from the film. They DO show the running of the bulls in pamplona, which is exciting. Directed by russell rouse...he had won his oscar for pillow talk. Novel by william mcgivern. Music by vic mizzy, who had done the music background for so many tv series, like green acres. Stephen boyd died quite young at 45 from a heart attack. It's a pretty good film. Not terrific, but good.

I was quite surprised to see a 6.0 IMDB picture with so much real quality. I thought it was quite excellent and very well crafted for a heist picture. The 2 female leads are really visually stunning and do their part to enhance this picture with quality performances. In fact, Giovanni Ralli really has the most essential role in the film as the beautiful seductress and recruiting specialist for this team of ex-WW2 compatriots who re-unite & plan a heist at the Pamplona Nationale Bank. Stephen Boyd is debonair and very charming in the lead as the man sort of blackmailed into leading the old team by the former beauty, Ms Ralli. Yvette Mimieux is luxuriously lovely playing his girlfriend, who gets pulled into the plot when Boyd's character let's the cat out of the bag. The entire cast of characters from many former film adventures keep a light comedic balance, while the beautiful Spanish setting in fabled Pamplona comes off perfectly. Easily 8 stars. Anyone should really enjoy this one!

I love this movie from the sixties, plenty of charm, not a bloody crime film, but a good old days heist flick, another version of RIFIFI or TOPKAPI, the heist scheme with the fewest talk whilst the robbers operate. Yes, this is a film which is not comedy, no sir, but light heart oriented, not a dark and downbeat film noir as RIFIFI was. I read the Bill Mc Givern's book and this film is rather faithful to the novel spirit. I watch it for the third time in decades and am surprised not to have been bored at all. I would say that kind of films never grow old; but that's my own opinion. Maybe the setting and the bull run sequence contribute to this feeling; not so many features provide such an atmosphere, so particular, so specific. A good old gem from a lost era.

If you enjoy your heist pictures with an excess of fluff and an absence of moral dilemmas, this mid-60's romp is the perfect pillow propper for the weekend.

Stephen Boyd is a handsome, stoic thief who's inevitably drawn back into a life of crime by a former tantalizing flame. Together with her weasly playboy sweetheart, on the run from a pair of Turkish hitmen (one being played by 'Live and Let Die's' down-home sheriff, Clifton James) Boyd's former gal pal and her friend mandate he enlist a team of crack heist men to break into a bank vault in Pamplona.

Did someone say the 'running of the bulls would be a fantastic diversionary tactic?' Well, if you did, then you too can be a heist caper writer! Between the noise of the bulls and the musical gala of the town's festival, our boys figure they'll be well-concealed in their quest to obtain Spain's finest jewels that are supposedly being held in the bank that week. But, of course, there's always complications...

Harold Stine's enriching colors bring this confection a glossy '60s cinematic sheen, and as always, Vic Mizzy has both melodic and comedic elements in his wonderful score.

After "Ben-Hur," Boyd rarely found much of a chance to exude depth in his characters, and this popcorn-light characterization does not allow him much elbow room to emote. Still, he's a commanding enough protagonist to keep our interest. The kittenish Yvette Mimieux is all blonde hair and smiles as his (seemingly) unsuspecting girlfriend. Although she receives second billing, the lovely Ms. Mimieux is only on-screen for less than a third of the picture.

With a wonderful shot of the Rock of Gibraltar and intimate locales around Pamplona, the scenery plays like a nostalgic postcard your folks might have sent you while on vacation to Europe in an earlier era. The inevitable heist twist, a la "Rififi," "The Hot Rock," on up to 2001's "The Score," take place here, yet the ending can easily be discerned. However, if all you seek is an easy-to-digest caper, sans humor and complex ingenuity, by all means, swipe this bull from your neighborhood rental shelf. My rating ** out of ****.