Seven Thieves

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Seven Thieves
VHS cover
Directed by	Henry Hathaway
Produced by	Sydney Boehm
Written by	Sydney Boehm Max Catto (novel)
Starring	Edward G. Robinson Rod Steiger Joan Collins
Music by	Dominic Frontiere
Cinematography	Sam Leavitt
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	March 12 1960 (New York City)
Running time	102 min
Language	English/French
IMDb profile

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).

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] 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," an invalid confined to 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's 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.