The League of gentlemen

A disgruntled army colonel who has been forcibly retired decides to take revenge on England by executing a daring daylight bank robbery. To undertake the crime he commandeers seven ex-army men who have fallen foul of the law in some way or other. The eight men (who don’t know each other) treat the assignment like a reconnaissance mission, carefully planned under the leadership of Colonel Hyde. “The League of gentlemen” is an old-fashioned caper movie that moves exceptionally well through the stages of the crime: the initial research, the preparations, the raid for ammunition, the day of the heist, the aftermath. The film also serves as a timepiece for England in the late 1950s - the last dregs of post-war hang-ups, the loosening of morals and hints of the swinging 60s, the displacement of these men who have moved from the heroism of their war years to shady existences. Adapted from the novel by John Boland, “The League of Gentlemen” has a pacey and witty script that is buoyed by fine performances from Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey and Richard Attenborough.