A terrific thriller directed by Peter Yates. Career criminal Stanley Baker pulls together a band of thieves to rob the Royal Mail train. They're doggedly pursued by wily Inspector James Booth. A masterful heist film with great performances all around. Baker is nearly robotic in his pursuit to pull off the job. He's ably supported by cunning William Marlowe & Frank Finlay. With clever direction by Yates, including a car chase that has to be seen to be believed and a dynamite twist ending. Joanna Pettet appears briefly as Baker's exasperated wife. The cinematography is by Douglas Slocombe & the taut score is by the great Scottish songwriter Johnny Keating.

I watched "Robbery" on TV for the first time in years yesterday and was impressed by the quality and reality of the story-line and the characters.Every scene had an interesting meaning to it and the characters all behaved in a consistent manner - which is very refreshing to see in an age where stories are tailored just to meet the aura or egos of its stars. A big credit for this goes to the writers and the director. The acting of Stanley Baker and James Booth was also outstanding.All in all a very enjoyable experience - which should appeal to film-lovers like me that are entertained by high quality production values and realistic stories.

A gang of crooks plan a big score and use other smaller robberies as a means of financing it. Clearly inspired by the Great Train Robbery of the 1960's, although the facts are shifted - maybe made for legal reasons? This is the kind of film that I loved as child. And still do. Live-for-today criminals that stop at nothing to get their hands on the loot and heaven help anybody that gets in the way. While having the plus of the robbery and the usual gang of rent a villains it does minor variations on the expected while not leaving the well trodden track.The car chase through central London is one of the best things here and inspired many impersonations. Indeed it is probably the first homicidal chase through a big city seen on screen.(The chase in Bullet is a complete rip-off - although Peter Yates directed this as well!) As another viewer noticed the dialogue is dated (no swearing!) and the thing lacks a clear hero and villain. All-in-all like watching one of the better episodes of The Sweeney (a UK TV series) and a good guide to London -- as it was back in the Swinging Sixties.

This is true British gangster filming at its best. The opening robbery and car chase, from Hatton Garden around central London and out to Maida Vale, is utterly brilliant and that's years before the French Connection or anything like that. Peter Yates was brilliant. In fact, if they re-make any British gangster film these days it should be Robbery, not Get Carter or anything like that. The music is utterly brilliant, too. Johny Keating should be up there with the likes of John Barry, John Williams, etc. He seems to have done virtually nothing after this film. Even the faked scenes of the train robbery itself are great despite the London-Glasgow express train really being another train on a branch line travelling at about 30 mph. They could've made a sequeal to this, too, with the legendary and fantastic Stanley Baker shown in the New World. Same goes for the late Barry Foster.