King of Thieves (2018 film)
King of Thieves | |
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Directed by | James Marsh |
Written by | Joe Penhall |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Danny Cohen |
Edited by |
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Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
Production company | |
Distributed by | StudioCanal |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes[2] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $11.4 million[3] |
King of Thieves is a 2018 British heist film directed by James Marsh. The film is based on the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015, and stars Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Charlie Cox, Jim Broadbent, Paul Whitehouse and Ray Winstone.[4][5]
Plot
A once-professional thief in his younger years, a now 77-year-old widower Brian Reader pulls together a band of aging criminals to plot an unprecedented burglary at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit. The thieves, all but one in their 60s and 70s, employ their old-school skills to plan the heist over the Easter holiday weekend. Posing as gas repairmen, they enter the deposit building, deactivate the alarms, and proceed to drill a hole into the wall of the strongroom. Two days later, they manage to escape with allegedly over £14 million in stolen jewels and money. When the crime is discovered, the police investigation starts, followed by a frenzy of publicity and media speculation as to those responsible.
Cracks between the misfit gang members begin to show as they argue over how to share the loot, and they become increasingly distrustful of each other. Brian is excluded by the group and, not realising the true value of the haul, the gang makes several mistakes. These help the police to identify, track, and finally arrest the gang members, with only the younger Basil evading arrest and escaping the country. All the others are remanded in custody and await their trial with equanimity.[6]
Filming
The main bulk of the scenes were filmed in central London and around Margate in Kent, including scenes at the Wig and Pen Pub, the Nayland Rock Hotel, Harbour Arm in Margate, outside the Turner Contemporary, and a scene at Margate railway station. Abbott's Cliff in Dover can also be spotted in the train scene where Brian Reader (Michael Caine) travels to Margate.[7][8]
Cast
- Michael Caine as Brian Reader
- Jim Broadbent as Terry Perkins
- Tom Courtenay as John Kenny Collins
- Charlie Cox as Basil/Michael Seed
- Paul Whitehouse as Carl Wood
- Michael Gambon as Billy "The Fish" Lincoln
- Ray Winstone as Danny Jones
- Francesca Annis as Lynne Reader
Soundtrack
A cover of "The Man" originally by The Killers was released by jazz-pop singer Jamie Cullum as the lead single from the King of Thieves soundtrack.[9]
Benjamin Wallfisch composed the music for the film. The score was released by Milan Records.[10]
Critical reception
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 33% based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "King of Thieves unites an incredible cast for a heist movie brimming with potential -- most of which, sadly, evaporates long before the end credits have started to roll."[11] Metacritic gives it a score of 47 out 100 based on 16 critical reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] The Guardian gave the film two stars, saying "We get one or two cool touches. Broadbent is interestingly cast against type as a nasty piece of work, and I liked Winstone laughing with incredulous joy as he clambers into the Aladdin's cave of the strongroom. But what a mess this is: not funny enough to be a comedy, not exciting enough to be a thriller, not interesting or convincing enough to have any documentary value."[13]
See also
- The Hatton Garden Job - a 2017 film based on the same events.
References
- ^ "KING OF THIEVES - Full Trailer". Filmoria.co.uk. 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "King of Thieves (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "King of Thieves (2019) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Hatton Garden Heist Film King Of Thieves Gets First Trailer". Empire. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Sheldon, Jess (8 August 2018). "Michael Caine health update: Star, 85, returns in heist film King of Thieves - WATCH video". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Henderson, Odie. "King of Thieves movie review & film summary (2019) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/.
- ^ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office King of Thieves Article". Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Final Hatton Garden raider convicted". 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Jamie Cullum's 'The Man' Cover from 'King of Thieves' to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "King of Thieves – Benjamin Wallfisch – Soundtrack World".
- ^ "King of Thieves (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "King of Thieves". Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (12 September 2018). "King of Thieves review – Hatton Garden crew commit daylight robbery". Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
External links
- 2018 films
- 2010s crime comedy-drama films
- 2010s heist films
- British films
- British crime comedy-drama films
- British heist films
- English-language films
- Films directed by James Marsh
- Films scored by Benjamin Wallfisch
- Crime films based on actual events
- Films set in London
- Films shot in London
- Working Title Films films
- StudioCanal films
- Saban Films films