THE BRINKS JOB

US, 1978, 104 minutes, Colour.
Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Alan Garfield, Warren Oates, Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, Sheldon Leonard, Kevin O’ Connor.
Directed by William Friedkin.

The Brinks Job collects a great number of character actors from film and television from the 1970s, led by Peter Falk as a mastermind for robberies. After working in the 1930s and in prison in the 1940s, his character plans a robbery on a security van from the eminent company Brinks. He is joined by character actors like Peter Boyle, Warren Oates and Paul Sorvino in carrying out the robbery. It is said that some of the robbers themselves acted as technical advisers for the film.

The film takes a comic tone towards the robbery, especially in the central performances like that of Peter Falk. However, quite an amount of attention is given to the detail of the robbery and its execution as well as the FBI investigation.

The film was directed by William Friedkin who had won an Oscar in 1971 for The French Connection and had great success with The Exorcist in 1973. in 1977 he did a remake of the French classic, The Wages of Fear, as The Sorcerer – it was expensive and a commercial failure. Friedkin continued to make films for the next three decades, sometimes succeeding, sometimes with very mediocre results. Thirty years later he was making such films as Hunted and Bug.

1. An interesting and enjoyable robbery comedy film? The popularity of robbery films like this in the seventies? The farcical and comical aspects the serious undertones? Well-blended?

2. The American appeal of the film? Knowledge of Brinks, the history of the robbery and its investigation, Boston settings? The notoriety and fame of these robbers as anti-Establishment and the people supporting them? Impact on non-American audiences - sharing this regard for such robbers?

3. The importance of the re-creation of Boston in the thirties and forties? The detail and atmosphere, nostalgia? The use of the visuals, the buildings and streets, markets, homes? The songs and music and the irony of the Bing Crosby ‘thinking positive’ song during the prison sequence and later? Memories of the F.B.I., the investigations, J. Edgar Hoover, fears of communist conspiracies in the early fifties?

4. Audience interest in and response to the robbers themselves? Moral judgments, non-moral judgments? Strengths and weaknesses of their characters? Presented as good, the bad aspects? The hero tradition for the outlaw and the little man defying the Establishment? How well presented here? Convincingly?

5. The presentation of the motives for robbery, the Brinks job itself? The variety of types of men involved, their backgrounds, values, skills, expectations from succeeding? How well could audiences identify and identify with these characters?

6. The importance of the initial comic tone and the amount of laughter from the audience? Creating an atmosphere and mood? The initial robbery and its being bungled? The transition to prison and the fact that the men served their sentence? Tony and the experience of prison? Vince and the irony of his small sentence in another robbery? The importance of the robbery of the bubble gum factory and the comic farcical scenes? The humour of Brinks and their pomposity and disregard of security? The humour and comic tone in Tony's monologue explaining his getting into Brinks and being able to move around freely? The humour in O'Keefe’s theory about firing the cannon for the robbery? The ironic humour of the tensions during the job itself? How pervasive was the humorous tone of the film?

7. Peter Falk and his style an Tony, as a personality, as leader? Place in Boston, Italian background, family, prison sentence, pride in his work, robberies? Ordinary expectation that he should be a thief? Relationship with Vine, and coping with his lack of brains? The bonds of relationship? Friendship with Gun, with Jazz and the others? The encounter with Joe during his visit and the build-up of a partnership? Was Tony a convincing character in his situation, as the leader of the Brinks job?

8. The humour of the prison sequence and the ironic song?

9. Tony and his being released at the end of the war. Vinnie and the re-establishment of the bonds between then? Mary and his love for her, her being always at home, knowing what he did, the meals, the cooking, the gifts and the furs (and the coupons?), the outings etc.? The building up of friendships again? Jazz and the information given him about his bookmaking work and participation in the robberies? Gun, the friend back from the war and his mock holding up of Tony's store? The involvement with the robberies - success and failure, the taking of the various bags from the Brinks vans? The background of Tony at work in the slums of Boston, for example the old man drinking and vomiting?

10. The presentation of Brinks - as a famous firm, its work, security? Tony's cover in entering the building and his being allowed to be there alone, getting the impression of the key? Pomposity? The study of Brinks during Tony's survey? The stealing of the bags of money (and their being taken in by the poor rate in getting rid of the stolen money?)

11. How well was Tony portrayed in his planning of the robbery the contribution of Vinnie, Tony's understanding the situation and building up a plan?

12. The irony of the meeting with O’Keefe? and his background of the war, their not being alert to his madness and the fact that he would have betrayed them? His outlandish plans? The reaction of the others? Joe and his knowledge of all that was going on and being part of it?

13. The amount of film devoted to the job itself, the date given, the audience knowing how in general it would be dons, the tensions and the variations with the locked door, the guard ringing the bells the masks the guns? The success of the venture and their getting away? The crowd of police arriving, the people watching the responses of the guards? The paraphernalia of a successful robbery?

14. The fact that the thieves had to lie low, the possibilities of falling out? Gun and O'Keefe and their spending the money, their being arrested the heavy sentences and the reasons given by the judge? The M.I. bashing them? The anguish experienced by them both? Gun holding fast, the effect on O'Keefe especially in his concern for his sister?

15. The reaction against Joe, the threats? A more serious atmosphere after the robbery?

16. The involvement of the F.B.I. - the satirical presentation of the F.B.I., of J. Edgar Hoover himself and his motivations, the communist conspiracies. the publicity, the interrogations and the torture, the Press interviews, the discussions about costs? The irony of the amount of money spent to got such small time criminals?

17. The arrests, their double stories? The background of Jazz's visit to O’Keefe?, his concern about his sister? Joe's condemnation of O’Keefe’s? sister and her drinking? Was It credible that O’Keefe? would break? The contrast with the others being hailed an heroes after their arrest? The presentation of them going into the court house and the acclamation, the admiration of the younger adolescents etc.? Autographs?

18. The postscript at the end about their release, their respectability, the money not being found? What was the audience left with in terms of the facts of the job, the people involved the good and the bad aspect the justice and morality?