Seven Thieves is a
1960 20th Century
Fox film noir crime drama motion picture.
Directed by
Henry Hathaway and
produced by
Sydney
Boehm, it was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm, based on
the
novel Seven Thieves by
Max Catto. Technical advisor was
Candy Barr, who, as
choreographer, taught dance routines to
Collins.
Seven Thieves received an
Academy Award nomination for
Best Costume Design
Black-and-White (Bill Thomas).
Synopsis
A
discredited expatriate American
professor,
Theo Wilkins, calls on a young protégé and sophisticated thief,
Paul Mason, to come over from the US and help him pull off one
final heist. He has masterminded a caper to steal
$4,000,000 in French francs from the underground vault of the
casino of Monte
Carlo
, Monaco
.
Wilkins has recruited the perfect team of thieves to help in the
heist, but he needs someone he can trust, Mason, to keep them all
in line during the execution of the heist. They devise an intricate
plan, but the petty jealousies of the team may destroy their
chances.
The heist takes place the night of a grand celebration one floor
above the casino. Poncho and Wilkins infiltrate the casino in the
guises of "Baron von Roelitz," a person with a disability who uses
a wheelchair, and his physician, "Dr. Vital." At the same time,
Melanie, Louis and Mason infiltrate the party with the help of
phony invitations procured by inside man Le May. Mason and Louis go
out a window which Melanie shuts behind them, and make their way
along a narrow ledge high above the sea to the casino director's
office. From there, they make their way by elevator to the vault
four floors below. They cut through the barred gate in front of the
vault and drill through the lock, secure the cash and make their
way back to the office.
Meanwhile, Poncho's part of the plan is to ingest a
cyanide capsule to simulate a heart attack and
death. Afraid, he fails to do so, necessitating that Wilkins inject
him with cyanide instead. Poncho collapses and Wilkins maneuvers
the casino director, in the name of "discretion," to transport "the
baron" to his office. Left alone in the office, Wilkins, Louis and
Mason stash the money in the hollow seat of the wheelchair. Louis
and Mason make their way back along the ledge to the window they
first climbed out and which Melanie has reopened for them, making
it back inside while narrowly avoiding being caught by casino
security. Louis and Melanie depart the party together and Mason
makes his way out separately.
Back in the director's office, Wilkins has summoned an ambulance,
which in reality is being driven by the last accomplice, Fritz.
Poncho is strapped into the wheelchair, taken to the side entrance
of the casino and loaded into the ambulance. The conspirators make
their getaway but sadly, Wilkins dies in the back of the ambulance.
Mason and Melanie drive him back to his hotel. Along the way, Mason
breaks down and Melanie realizes that Wilkins was his father.
Mason and Melanie decide they want no part of the stolen money and
return to the hideout to tell the others so. They find them
squabbling over how to split up the take. Mason examines the money
and discovers that it is brand new currency and that all the serial
numbers are on file with the Bank of France, which will make it
next to impossible to spend. Mason and Melanie, realizing that the
others will be unable to resist spending the cash, will be caught
and will implicate them, forcibly take the cash away and return it
to the casino. Ironically, while returning the money they hit it
big on the
roulette table and so are the
only ones of the seven to come out ahead.
Cast
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