Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Great Train Robbery Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 29, 2023

Michael Crichton's "The Great Train Robbery" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by the director and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional Engish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Is it doable?

In the year 1855, England and France were at war with Russia in the Crimea. The English troops were paid in gold. Once a month £25,000 in gold was loaded into strongboxes inside the London bank of Huddleston and Bradford and taken by trusted armed guards to the railway station. The convoy followed no fixed route or timetable. At the station, the gold was loaded into the baggage van of the Folkstone train for shipment to the coast and from there to the Crimea. The strongboxes were placed in two specially built Chubb safes constructed of three-quarter-inch tempered steel. Each safe weighed 550 pounds. Each safe was fitted with two locks requiring two keys or four keys altogether. For security, each key was individually protected. Tow keys were entrusted to the railway dispatcher, who kept them in his office. A third was in the custody of Mr. Edgar Trent, president of the Huddleston and Bradford. And the fourth key was given to Mr. Henry Fowler, manager of the Huddleston and Bradford Bank. The presence of so much gold in one place naturally aroused the interests of the English criminal elements, but in 1855 there had never been a robbery from a moving train.

Sean Connery beautifully narrates the quoted text above and then begins putting together a plan that would allow him to steal the Crimean gold. While gathering preliminary information about the gold’s transportation to the train station and the security protocol on the train with his mistress, played by Lesley-Ann Down, Connery quickly concludes that he would need the help of an old partner, played by Donald Sutherland, who is a notorious cracksman. After Connery and Sutherland reunite and the former reveals the ambitious job he is working on, the group begins preparation work.

But to acquire one of the four keys that can unlock the safes where the gold is kept, the thieves are forced to seek help from a very special prisoner (Wayne Sleep) that can climb a building like a cat. He promptly breaks out of prison and begins working with the thieves, but despite helping them gate what they need makes a silly mistake and is arrested by the police. When he betrays his partners to regain his freedom, Connery kills him.

Bank officials and the police alter the security protocol, but instead of abandoning their original plan, the thieves make a brilliant adjustment that allows them to bypass the newly introduced enhancements. Then, while using fake personalities, the thieves board the train. Well, two of them do, the third, who is locked in a casket, is very carefully placed on the train.

Written and directed by Michael Crichton, The Great Train Robbery reveals plenty of fine Victorian visuals but is not the exciting period caper that could and should have been. Indeed, it is an oddly uneven film that has a perplexingly difficult time producing entertaining material with its excellent cast.

A closer examination of everything that does not work points to Crichton’s involvement as the main source of virtually all troubles. For example, the screenplay clutters more than two-thirds of the film with average exchanges that visibly hurt its rhythm. Much of the preparation work is clumsy and begins to hurt the credibility of the main characters, too. It is only because Connery has a predictably enigmatic presence before the camera that parts of this preparation work are even watchable. More importantly, instead of building up great suspense, the film simply goes through various situations until the gold is removed from the train.

Perhaps the most striking flaw is the mismanagement of the humor that was supposed to shape the film’s personality. There is only one segment in which Connery engages a flirtatious housewife that is refreshingly witty and genuinely hilarious. The rest of the comedic material is either poorly scripted or looks incomplete. The worst of this material features Malcolm Terris, who tries very hard to be funny and repeatedly fails.

Crichton succeeds in presenting a convincing period environment but this is not enough to praise his involvement with The Great Train Robbery.

The Great Train Robbery Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Great Train Robbery arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This release is sourced from the same old master that was used to produce this release in 2014. What is different? The main difference is that the new release has properly set gamma levels. The new release also uses a dual-layer disc, not a single-layer disc, but I do not think that the larger file produces a significant improvement in quality.

Generally speaking, the visuals have pleasing organic qualities. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth, range from good to very good. The footage from the introduction features stylization that introduces some fluctuations, but they are inherited. (See the sepia tint in sceeencaptures #6 and 7). Image stability is good, though in a couple of areas small enhancements can be introduced. There are no traces of problematic degraining adjustments. However, one of the main limitations of this master is that it produces noisier than usual grain, so the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to recognize this weakness. Color balance is good. However, key primaries and supporting nuances can appear lusher and better balanced. In fact, if in the future the film is fully restored in 4K and properly graded, some of the most significant improvements will be in the color scheme. The overall dynamic range of the visuals will be superior as well. I noticed quite a few surface imperfections, such as nicks, scratches, blemishes, and stains. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Great Train Robbery Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Clarity and sharpness were good throughout the entire film. However, there are quite a few areas where music has a prominent role with rather abrupt dynamic spikes. I assume that if one day the audio is fully remastered these areas will be rebalanced. I did not encounter any transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review.

The Great Train Robbery Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by writer/director Michael Crichton.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Great Train Robbery. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage TV spots for The Great Train Robbery. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Great Train Robbery.

The Great Train Robbery Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If I had to describe The Great Train Robbery with a single word, average would be it. Michael Crichton is the source of virtually all troubles in it, but it would be pretty easy to make a good case that Donald Sutherland may not have been the right actor to play one of the thieves as well. To be honest, I find this pretty bizarre because The Great Train Robbery is the type of project that is far more difficult to get wrong than right. This release is sourced from the same old master that MGM supplied for this release in 2014. Even though there are some small improvements on it, if you already have the previous release, you probably should not consider an upgrade.