Coup de maître

This was one of the favorite thrillers of my childhood! By that time, I didn't even DREAM to get involved in movies, I was planning to become a writer - so, I watched it with a totally uninvolved eye. God, I did love it! The diamond stealing scene really caught my imagination - I was fascinated by the burglars' resourcefulness! I was also deeply touched by Lang's disfigurement by the mobsters hands - definitely, it was the hardest torture scene I watched in my childhood, only surpassed by Marlon Brando's beating to a bloody pulp, in Arthur Penn's "The Chase". But maybe the most important role of this movie was the fact that it made me discover Adolfo Celi, that talented "villain type" later to be found again in so many movies... Oh, and I should also add that I was strongly aroused by the erotic scenes featuring Richard Harrison, as "Arthur Lang". I kept mentioning his kissing ways, always saying: "I can't wait to kiss the same as Lang!" (Later, when I mentioned the great German classic master Fritz Lang, my mother asked me: "Is he the same as your kissing-teacher?") It's sort of sad that my mundane trivia memories are the only comments (for now) to be made about this really skillful heist-movie of the Sixties...

I watched The Great Diamond Robbery last night and don't think I could have enjoyed it much more than I did. What a wonderfully entertaining, relatively unknown gem of a movie! I call it unknown because I can't find much at all on the internet on the film. In fact, even though my copy (and apparently several others who have seen the film) goes by the name The Great Diamond Robbery, you won't find that name listed on IMDb. Instead, you'll find it listed under either the name Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà Britannica or Master Stroke (to those of us more fluent in English). Whatever you call it, it's one very fun heist-type film that deserves a much wider audience.

As for the plot . . . Well, I can't really go into the plot very much without giving away the movie's many surprises. Very briefly, Richard Harrison (in one of the most ironic roles ever) plays an actor in Spaghetti Westerns who is one day approached by a group of men offering him an acting job. He agrees to listen and discovers that this is no ordinary role. It seems that the actor bears a remarkable resemblance to Arthur Land, a top executive at the diamond exchange. These men want him to pose as Lang and help them steal a fortune in diamonds. I'll stop my plot description here as anymore would be too much. I'll just add that The Great Diamond Robbery features one of the most clever plots imaginable. There are more twists and turns, more red herrings, and more slight of hand than you'll see in a dozen other movies combined. Every time you think you've got things figured out, the plot throws you another curve. It's really an amazing piece of writing.

Beyond the plot, the cast is another big highlight. Richard Harrison was never better. I've seen him in Spaghetti Westerns, peplums, and other genre films, but I don't remember enjoying a performance from him as much as this one. Harrison is joined by a wonderful cast that includes genre regulars Adolfo Celi and Margaret Lee. Both are also excellent in their roles. Most of the rest of the cast, with the notable exception of Luciano Pigozzi, weren't as familiar to me, but all were very good. I have no complaints with the acting in The Great Diamond Robbery.

I could keep going and going with the superlatives. Solid direction from Michele Lupo, excellent locations and sets, real tension and suspense, terrific cinematography, and wonderful pacing - everything about The Great Diamond Robbery is perfect. One final highlight is the music. Francesco De Masi's score fits the film perfectly. The main theme is one of those pieces of music that will be in your head long after the film is over. I'd actually like to track down a copy - it's that good.

Overall, The Great Diamond Robbery (or Master Stroke or Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà Britannica) is one of those movies I always love to discover. I'm so glad I had the chance to watch it. I know it's wishful thinking, but I would love to see a good, legit R1 release. I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.