Post by Brad Nelson on Jul 10, 2019 18:07:27 GMT -8
The Hatton Garden Heist
Viewed on BritBox (included with basic subscription) - reviewed through season 1.
Info: IMDB
Genre: heist
Type: series (1 season, 4 episodes, 2019)
Runtime: 52 minutes per episode
Starring: David Hayman, Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Spall
Quick Rating: A brisk heist series that shows that crime doesn't pay...but that doesn't stop them from trying. A wonderful set of actors and a quality production through and through.
Summary: Four elderly men, all experienced thieves, carry out a large-scale robbery. This is based on real events from 2015.
I had fun watching this. This series tends toward almost a Disneyesque comedy starring Don Knotts. Some of the criminals in this would make him look competent.
The first two of the four episodes cover the heist. The second two cover the aftermath. We see very little of the planning stages and get right to the heist. And I think this works.
The main point about the planning (and the only small spoiler I’ll give away) is that the mastermind of the gang (played by Kenneth Cranham — Pompey Magnus from HBO’s Rome) uncovers the fact that an old elevator shaft, taken out of service, has not been properly sealed up. That is their way into the vault of safety deposit boxes.
The real star of this one is the under-appreciated (in his own mind) Terry Perkins, played superbly by Timothy Spall. And Alex Norton as Kenny Collins is so annoying that you just want to reach through the screen and slap him — a real credit to the actor.
There are not a lot of cops in this cops-and-robbers affair. This is mostly about the robbers. But they do play their part eventually.
Yes, the squabbling between the heist participants can get a little old at times. And although there is some dramatic interpretation going in, this is supposedly based closely on a true story. And what’s amazing is how technically competent the heist was (more or less). But if you were intentionally trying to put together a gang of knuckleheads, you would hard-pressed to outdo this crime crew.
Viewed on BritBox (included with basic subscription) - reviewed through season 1.
Info: IMDB
Genre: heist
Type: series (1 season, 4 episodes, 2019)
Runtime: 52 minutes per episode
Starring: David Hayman, Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Spall
Quick Rating: A brisk heist series that shows that crime doesn't pay...but that doesn't stop them from trying. A wonderful set of actors and a quality production through and through.
Summary: Four elderly men, all experienced thieves, carry out a large-scale robbery. This is based on real events from 2015.
I had fun watching this. This series tends toward almost a Disneyesque comedy starring Don Knotts. Some of the criminals in this would make him look competent.The first two of the four episodes cover the heist. The second two cover the aftermath. We see very little of the planning stages and get right to the heist. And I think this works.
The main point about the planning (and the only small spoiler I’ll give away) is that the mastermind of the gang (played by Kenneth Cranham — Pompey Magnus from HBO’s Rome) uncovers the fact that an old elevator shaft, taken out of service, has not been properly sealed up. That is their way into the vault of safety deposit boxes.
The real star of this one is the under-appreciated (in his own mind) Terry Perkins, played superbly by Timothy Spall. And Alex Norton as Kenny Collins is so annoying that you just want to reach through the screen and slap him — a real credit to the actor.
There are not a lot of cops in this cops-and-robbers affair. This is mostly about the robbers. But they do play their part eventually.
Yes, the squabbling between the heist participants can get a little old at times. And although there is some dramatic interpretation going in, this is supposedly based closely on a true story. And what’s amazing is how technically competent the heist was (more or less). But if you were intentionally trying to put together a gang of knuckleheads, you would hard-pressed to outdo this crime crew.
