A Misunderstood Michael Caine Movie Just Hit Netflix
Michael Caine has had an extensive career in the film industry, and one of his more misunderstood films is now streaming on Netflix.
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Michael Caine is truly one of the best actors in the world. Most of the films that he has been a part of have done well. However, one of his more understood ventures has just arrived on Netflix. The 2018 heist film, King of Thieves. The film follows the true story of the biggest robbery in the history of the UK. The all-star cast is led by Caine, as he puts together a group of aged men as they traverse pulling off the biggest heist of their careers. Though there are those who claim that this film was left with much to be desired, the beauty exists in the humor created by such a great ensemble cast.
King of Thieves follows the true-life story of a group of men that pulled off one of the biggest robberies in British history. The heist was known as the Hatton Garden diamond heist. Through the Easter holiday weekend, a group of men broke into an underground safe deposit facility in Hatton Garden, London. They entered through an elevator shaft and drilled holes so that they could enter the vault without having to go through the safe door. The robbers made away with something along the lines of 14 million pounds. That is a ton of money. The burglary took place in 2015, with most of the men involved being sent to prison in 2016. The subsequent film was released just two years after. A newspaper covering the robbery nicknamed all those involved Mr. Ginger, Mr. Strong, Mr. Montana, The Gent, The Tall Man, and The Old Man. Michael Caine plays the ringleader in the film.
Besides Michael Cane portraying the real-life Brian Reader in the film, he was joined by Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Charlie Cox, Paul Whitehouse, Michael Gambon, and Ray Winstone. King of Thieves follows the lives of the men who pulled off the real Hatton Garden robbery, and their downfall because of greed. While the actual heist went off without a hitch, the men began to do things that allowed the police to catch them. Through various missteps, all the men were arrested and charged with burglary and conspiracy to burgle. Charlie Cox plays the organizer known as “Basil.” He was the only one to have escaped capture and apparently disappeared. The beauty of this film exists in the fact that a bunch of men well into the latter half of their lives put together and organized one of the biggest heists in history. They used drills to get into a vault that should have kept them out. While they took away around 14 million pounds, nine million of that is still supposedly still missing.
King of Thieves is hilarious in nature, as it is chock full of British actors that have shown plenty of their comedy in other ventures. That is likely how and why the film has been rated so poorly. Though it is based on a true story, Michael Caine and his compatriots still bring forth the charm and quick-witted quips at each other’s expense. The film currently holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Metacritic having a similar 47/100 approval. The film is said to attempt to be a comedy, thriller, and documentary type of film all in one. However, it fails in those categories. Honestly, it’s not that bad and the hate might come from being taken too seriously in the other categories other than it being a funny heist romp. While the usual idea for most true story films is to remain serious, there are those who bring humor into the ridiculousness of the story that the film is covering. Take The Wolf of Wall Street, for instance.
Whatever the critic consensus for this Michael Caine-led film is, it is still worth a watch. King of Thieves put together a great cast that covers one of the biggest robberies in British history, and that is something that is worth checking out. Not every poorly reviewed film is as bad as critics say. King of Thieves is currently streaming on Netflix, so watch it and decide for yourself if it is that bad. At the very least, Michael Caine and Charlie Cox are in it, and they are both fantastic actors.
