IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

When perusing the filmography of William Friedkin, one might consider The Brink’s Job (1978) to be slight or a minor work.  Certainly, Friedkin directed more celebrated films, such as The French Connection (1971), The Exorcist (1973), and the initially under-appreciated Sorcerer (1977).  However, rather than slight, I consider The Brink’s Job to be a lark.  After the heavy, three course meal of the masterpieces that preceded it, The Brink’s Job is a welcome, light dessert.  However, that isn’t to imply that the film offers nothing but light entertainment.  It is a confection, but a surprisingly complex one.

The Brink’s Job is based on the real 1950 robbery of approximately 2.7 million dollars from a Brink’s armored car building in Boston, Massachusetts, committed by a group of small-time, working-class thieves, who shouldn’t have been capable of pulling off such a haul.  Bringing the story to life is Peter Falk as Tony Pino, a petty criminal who specializes in picking locks, cracking safes, and scoping out small businesses to boost with his small crew, consisting of his brother-in-law (Allen Garfield) and a couple of neighborhood pals (Gerard Murphy and Kevin O’Connor).  Between occasional stints in prison, Tony is able to make crime pay, but not enough to move his wife (Gena Rowlands) and himself beyond their blue collar working class roots.

Things take an unexpected turn when Tony notices the surprisingly lax security in and around the Brink’s armored trucks that deliver some of the city’s largest payrolls.  While most consider the Brink’s building to be a fortress, Tony discovers that the business is getting by on its reputation.  The business owners are too cheap to put any real money into securing the facility.  Of course, tackling a robbery of this size demands a larger crew, including a dapper bookmaker (Paul Sorvino), an ex-GI suffering from PTSD (Warren Oates), and a local fence (Peter Boyle).  Can Tony hold this group together and pull off the job?  Watch and find out.

In terms of story and themes, The Brink’s Job is one of the most conventional films that William Friedkin ever directed.  Basically, it is a “working class hero” or “little guy against the man” story.  However, when that little guy is played by Peter Falk, one of the great “personality” character actors ever to step in front of a movie camera, the film is an absolute joy to watch.  In fact, I think that the film plays better now than when it was originally released, because it feels like more of a novelty.  Today it is rare to see a film with a character lead.  Whereas, in the 1970s, you could get audiences to attend a film (even an action film or romance) fronted by an actor that wasn’t conventionally handsome (such as Falk or Walter Matthau).

In addition to Falk, we are treated to a murder’s row of incredible character actors, including Peter Boyle, Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, and Allen Garfield.  All of them bring their “A” game to this film.  However, one supporting player deserves special mention.  Warren Oates gives one of his very best performances as Specs O’Keefe, a shell-shocked WWII vet turned thief.  His realistic portrayal of a man battling severe mental challenges adds an unexpected weight to the second half of the film.

While Friedkin has assembled a top-notch ensemble of actors, it is the production design and technical aspects that really make the film sing.  In almost every technical aspect, The Brink’s Job is better than it has any need to be.  Friedkin insisted on authenticity, and the film was shot on location in Boston around (and sometimes on the actual sites) where the heist took place.  I don’t think there is a single studio shot in the film.  First-time cinematographer Norman Leigh and production designer Dean Tavaoularis achieved incredible results from the location shoot.  While the film spans the years 1938 to 1956, the setting never looks anything less than authentic; and in fact, some of the camera shots reminded me of The Godfather.

While The Brink’s Job will never be the first movie that comes to mind when people think of William Friedkin’s filmography, it is a solid entertainment, expertly made.  It is a true gem that is ripe for rediscovery.

US/C-104m./Dir: William Friedkin/Wr: Walon Green (based upon the book Big Stick Up at Brink’s by Noel Behn)/Cast: Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Allen Garfield, Warren Oates, Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, Sheldon Leonard, Gerard Murphy, Kevin O’Connor

For Fans of: If you like Friedkin’s more serious films or if you just like heist movies, I think you may be surprised how much you like The Brink’s Job.

Video: Kino Lorber Studio Classics will premiere The Brink's Job on Blu-ray on June 18th.  The video presentation is near perfect.  The image is sharp with appropriate film grain and accurate, unfaded color.  I also didn’t notice any speckles, scratches, or debris on the print.  Finally, the audio presentation of the period songs sounded fantastic to my ears.

I honestly can’t tell you whether this was one of the better video transfers that I’ve seen in a while or if I was just so charmed by the narrative that my attention was elsewhere.  Either way, I can’t see fans of the film being anything but delighted with the Blu-ray.  The disc is rounded out with a nice collection of extras:

• A conversational audio commentary between film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson, which covers behind-the-scenes details of the production, information on the real robbery, and personal impressions of the performances and technical aspects of the film.  It is an enjoyable listen.
• The original theatrical trailers for The Brink’s Job (1978), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Bank Shot (1974), The Midnight Man (1974), After the Fox (1966), The Silent Partner (1978), Cops and Robbers (1973), and Loophole (1981).
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Streaming: At the time this review was written, The Brink’s Job was not available through any streaming service.

More to Explore: If you haven’t seen Friedkin’s masterpiece, Sorcerer (1977), which was also written by Walon Green, check it out immediately.  However, if you are looking for another comic caper film, let me suggest The Hot Rock (1972), starring Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, and Paul Sand as a band of unlucky thieves that find themselves stealing the same emerald multiple times.  This story is complete fiction, based on Donald Westlake's comic crime novel, the first in a series of books chronicling the heists of master thief John Archibald Dortmunder.

Trivia: In an interesting parallel to the story being produced, 15 unedited reels of the film were stolen from the Boston production, and a call was placed, demanding a one million dollar ransom.  However, the stolen reals were only outtakes and dailies that were either unnecessary or replaceable, as the negatives were held at the Technicolor lab in New York City.  Friedkin told the robbers to “get a projector and enjoy the film.”  No ransom was paid.

For More Info: The true story behind the real Brink’s heist is detailed in the true crime book, Big Stick-Up at Brink's! by Noel Behn, which served as a partial basis for the screenplay.