The Great Train Robbery (1979): B-

A Victorian-era caper in which Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland attempt to rob a moving train of gold headed for British soldiers fighting in the Crimea, The Great Train Robbery is drenched in convincing period details even as its story remains imbued with the spirit of the ‘60s and ‘70s counterculture. Connery’s Edward Pierce is a dapper master thief who, along with his constantly disguised lover Miriam (Lesley-Anne Down) and his sidekick Robert Agar – played by the quirky Sutherland with an enormous moustache and muttonchops, and a habit of stretching his long, nimble fingers with a popping wiggle – plans to pull of the first train heist in history. As portrayed by Michael Crichton (who not only adapted his novel for the screen, but directs as well), the three crooks are roguish anti-establishment heroes, ultimately cheered for their daring feat by the common people while England’s fussy-duddy powers-that-be frown with dismay. Crichton’s direction is straightforward and solid, while Connery and Sutherland lend the material some dry humor. One wishes The Great Train Robbery weren’t so lackadaisical – the climactic act of larceny is preceded by mini-larcenies that drag on for far too long – but as a quaint diversion, it’s a pleasant-enough theft of one’s two hours.