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A Robber's Tale

Episode aired Dec 18, 2013
1h 28m

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Luke Evans in The Great Train Robbery (2013)

Following a vicious attack on a wages van at Heathrow airport in November 1962 the gang concerned are disappointed that the haul is less than expected and their leader, Bruce Reynolds, despi... Read allFollowing a vicious attack on a wages van at Heathrow airport in November 1962 the gang concerned are disappointed that the haul is less than expected and their leader, Bruce Reynolds, despite his wife's request that he eschews crime, is greedy for a bigger heist. This comes abou... Read allFollowing a vicious attack on a wages van at Heathrow airport in November 1962 the gang concerned are disappointed that the haul is less than expected and their leader, Bruce Reynolds, despite his wife's request that he eschews crime, is greedy for a bigger heist. This comes about when an anonymous Ulsterman alerts the gang to the Glasgow to Euston mail train, said to... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

393

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
During the opening scene, the music is "Keep on Running", this is a nod to another film about the Great Train Robbery. The same song is used at the beginning of Buster.

Goofs
When Bruce and Gordon 'steal' a train in order to practise, Gordon points out the brake and the dead [man's] handle before starting and moving off. When they both panic and jump from the train, it continues into the distance.

However, a dead man's handle is designed precisely for this eventuality, that is, if the driver becomes incapacitated or takes his hand off the control for any other reason. Either way, with no driver holding the handle down, the brakes would have been applied immediately and the train would have come to a stop.

Quotes
[Roger shows Bruce how he plans to rig the signals by blanking out the green light with a glove and powering the yellow or red light with a battery]
Bruce Reynolds: What, that's it? A light bulb and a black glove?
Roger Cordrey: Yes
Bruce Reynolds: I thought it was going to be all technical - you said... It's just common sense, Roger. Anyone could have thought of *that*.
Roger Cordrey: [grinning smugly] But they didn't, did they. I did. Anyone can be complicated. Simplicity - that's hard.

Connections
Featured in La noche de...: El gran asalto al tren: Historia de un ladrón (2017)

Soundtracks
Keep On Running
Written by Jackie Edwards.
Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Performed by Louise Clare Marshall (as Louise Marshall).

User reviews2

Review

Featured review

7/10

As a youngster the second most memorable event of 1963

If you were alive in 1963 then you will remember the robbery dubbed by the press of the day as the great train robbery, the robbers who stuck into the establishment and kind of got away with it. The public fascination and the media's obsession has kept the story alive ever since. In British folk law, this story became a legend long ago. So this made for tv two-part movie, tells it kind of as it was as best as anyone actually knows. The recreation of Britain in 1963 is not too bad at all with many cultural references to time and place neatly done. The story evolves nicely though mostly low key yet largely effective. This is part one of a two-part movie, the second part titled a coppers tale deals with how the gang fell apart after the raid leaving evidence all over the place making capture easier for the police. This segment is much less effective and stumbles along in an episodic patchy peace of storytelling that includes some very poor camera work which seemed out of step with the rest of the production.