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Actors: Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Melina Mercouri, Robert Morley, Gilles Segal, Akim Tamiroff, Jess Hahn
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Topkapi |
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Jewel thief Elizabeth teams with her ex-lover and mentor Walter, a meticulous master thief, to aim for the priceless emerald dagger at the tightly secured Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. Walter enlists acrobat Guilio, holder Hans, and gadgetry aficionado Cedric. Then he hires Arthur, a petty shyster who sells trash "artefacts" to touists near the Turkish border in Greece, for one simple task; to deliver a Lincoln across the border to the Istanbul Hilton. But customs officials search the car, discover guns and smoke grenades, and arrest the hapless Arthur on suspicion of smuggling arms into Turkey for terrorism. They give him a chance to prove his innocence by spying on Walter's gang for them.
The unsuspecting theives are forced by a legal technicality to keep Arthur as their driver. Reluctantly, they let him settle into their seaside villa as they fine-tune their plan. He spies dilligently, but - aside from the drunk cook's delusion that they are Russian spies, and other such useless/misleading snippets - he learns very little. Soon, the theives deduce what he is up to, and lure him to their side. Again, the plan must alter. The weapons will not be used now, but Arthur will, in a key role replacing the injured Hans as Guilio's holder. Elizabeth will distract the searchlight guard with a game of Tavoli, while Cedric slows the light's revolution. And they will strike tonight.
Pre-heist, the gang attends an outdoor wrestling match at the carnival near the museum. They come and go from the stands so many times that the security men watching them cease to worry about it. Then each begins to leave for real in separate taxis, leaving their Lincoln as false evidence that they are still around. Guilio, Walter and Arthur enter the museum as it closes, and cross its cluster of roofs to a window over the display case. Guilio is painstakingly lowered over the touch-sensitive alarmed floor, toward the dagger. All goes well until one little unforeseen detail threatens everything.
--vjm, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Topkapi |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Story of
- chasing money/treasure
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) fat
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- General European
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Dumb
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
Body type
- (woman) average
How much in movie?
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- General European
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Profession/status:
- champion of justice
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Turkish
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Greece
- Turkey
City?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
Any profanity?
- None
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Resident Scholar Profiles
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 vjm
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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