Continuing the discussion from Finding my next binge watch:
It’s not a binge but, IMO, this is a much underrated (low-budget) movie:
Sewers of Gold (a.k.a. The Great Riviera Bank Robbery) (a.k.a. Dirty Money) (1979)
British heist film set in the south of France. Nice - playground to millionaires and beautiful women - comes in for another type of excitement when The Brain (Ian McShane) plans a daring bank robbery. A fervent Nationalist, he and his friends have teamed up with criminals to steal enough money for a Government coup. Tunnelling up through the sewers into the bank, they manage to liberate 15 million dollars - but will they be able to keep it?
A thumbnail sketch from Tuco Ramirez (Amazon):
One of those films that gets quietly forgotten, and then you come across it again and enjoy it just as much as you did forty years ago. There are so many films that, although they’re not Hollywood blockbusters, have elements, and a feel that today’s film industry just couldn’t deliver, for a multitude of reasons.
Sewers of Gold is based on a true story of a heist which took place in Nice in 1976 - that year of the blazing hot summer - remember? A heist in Nice - what could be more attractive? And all shot on location on the Riviera. The film itself differs somewhat from the actual robbery story, but centres very much on the efforts of the team and the mechanics of the job of breaking into the bank through the tunnels and sewers below ground.
Ian McShane plays the charismatic lead role, and as in all his films, does a great job - with that excellent voice of his used for narration throughout the story. And unlike so many modern films which are over-excitable and over-dramatic, the pace of this film, as was the case back in the 70s, is nice and steady - much more realistic.
Click For Ending Spoiler
That is until the end, with a superb, very realistic getaway on a motorcycle. And, if like me you like motorcycles, especially being ridden on the Riviera - this is a Kawasaki Z1000 wth a terrific sounding exhaust note, tearing away through the streets and away onto the Autoroute. And if you look closely, Ian McShane himself is perched on the back - no helmet - as it howls away into the distance - in the Riviera sunshine. Perfect.
Available on Talking Pictures tonight at 18:30
