...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Great Train Robbery

141 statements
26 feature instances
13 referencing feature instances

The Great Train Robbery	type	TVTItem
The Great Train Robbery	label	The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery	page	TheGreatTrainRobbery
The Great Train Robbery	comment	The Great Train Robbery is a 1975 crime and historical novel written by Michael Crichton. It tells the story of the Great Gold Robbery of 1855, a massive gold heist, which takes place on a train traveling through Victorian-era England on May 22, 1855. Most of the story takes place in London, England.In 1854, Edward Pierce, a charismatic and affluent "cracksman" or master thief, makes plans to steal a shipment of gold worth more than twelve thousand pounds being transported monthly from London to the Crimean War front. He faces enormous obstacles as the bank has taken strict precautions, including locking the gold in two heavy safes, each of which has two locks, thus requiring a total of four keys to open. He recruits Robert Agar, a "screwsman" or specialist in copying keys, as an accomplice. He spends an entire year preparing for the heist, before he finally makes his move on May 22, 1855. Even though he and his accomplices get the gold, things end up falling apart afterwards.A 1978 film adaptation (titled The First Great Train Robbery outside of the U.S., presumably to distinguish it from the silent 1903 Western film) (and possibly to avoid confusion among British audiences and others who might think of a real-life British train robbery in 1963) was directed by Crichton himself. It starred Sean Connery as Pierce and Donald Sutherland as Agar.
The Great Train Robbery	fetched	2023-09-25T04:13:55Z
The Great Train Robbery	parsed	2023-09-25T04:13:55Z
The Great Train Robbery	processingComment	Dropped link to DiscouragingConcealment: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Great Train Robbery	processingComment	Dropped link to Troll: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Great Train Robbery	processingUnknown	Discouraging Concealment
The Great Train Robbery	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Great Train Robbery / int_1b65eaf3	type	The Caper
The Great Train Robbery / int_1b65eaf3	comment	The Caper: The story is about a group a thieves who plan to steal gold from a train.
The Great Train Robbery / int_1b65eaf3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_1b65eaf3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_1b65eaf3
The Great Train Robbery / int_20d965e	type	Gentleman Thief
The Great Train Robbery / int_20d965e	comment	Gentleman Thief: Pierce, after a fashion. While not lacking in manners, most of his "gentleman" features are there to facilitate him getting closer to the people who deal with the gold's protection, and listen in on potential weaknesses in security while talking to them.
The Great Train Robbery / int_20d965e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_20d965e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_20d965e
The Great Train Robbery / int_226875bb	type	Caper Crew
The Great Train Robbery / int_226875bb	comment	Caper Crew: Pierce is the Mastermind. He finds the target. He gathers the crew. He plans everything. Miriam is the Distraction. She distracts Fowler twice (in the brothel and in the train). Barlow is the Muscle. He kills Clean Willy. Burgess, a train guard, is the Inside Man. Clean Willy and Agar are Burglars. Clean Willy is an expert in infiltration and Agar is a master in making false keys to open safes.
The Great Train Robbery / int_226875bb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_226875bb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_226875bb
The Great Train Robbery / int_2562da69	type	Great Escape
The Great Train Robbery / int_2562da69	comment	Great Escape: "Clean Willy"'s getaway from prison, via climbing up the wall while everybody else is distracted by a random hanging. Also Pierce's escape from the cops during the final scene of the film and novel.
The Great Train Robbery / int_2562da69	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_2562da69	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_2562da69
The Great Train Robbery / int_27adb17a	type	Train Job
The Great Train Robbery / int_27adb17a	comment	Train Job: The title is The Great Train Robbery and there is a reason for it.
The Great Train Robbery / int_27adb17a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_27adb17a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_27adb17a
The Great Train Robbery / int_2e8441c9	type	The Bad Guy Wins
The Great Train Robbery / int_2e8441c9	comment	The Bad Guy Wins: The film adaptation has a "happier" ending than the novel, with Miriam and Agar masterminding Pierce's escape after his trial and, to all extents and purposes, escaping successfully from the pursuers, ready to disappear with their new wealth.
The Great Train Robbery / int_2e8441c9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_2e8441c9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_2e8441c9
The Great Train Robbery / int_33d5b7f2	type	Adapted Out
The Great Train Robbery / int_33d5b7f2	comment	Adapted Out: The film omits most of the final act of the novel, including Agar's mistress ratting the heist team out, and Agar ratting Pierce out because he's being threatened to be sent to Australia.
The Great Train Robbery / int_33d5b7f2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_33d5b7f2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_33d5b7f2
The Great Train Robbery / int_3aec9e5e	type	Properly Paranoid
The Great Train Robbery / int_3aec9e5e	comment	Properly Paranoid: Edward Pierce makes it a point to never really trust anybody. It turns out that he was right, because Robert Agar eventually sells him out to the police.
The Great Train Robbery / int_3aec9e5e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_3aec9e5e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_3aec9e5e
The Great Train Robbery / int_3e6afe66	type	Drunk Rolling
The Great Train Robbery / int_3e6afe66	comment	Drunk Rolling: Eighteen months after the robbery, Agar's mistress is caught in the act of robbing a drunk and informs on Agar to escape imprisonment.
The Great Train Robbery / int_3e6afe66	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_3e6afe66	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_3e6afe66
The Great Train Robbery / int_3eee0728	type	Captain Obvious
The Great Train Robbery / int_3eee0728	comment	Captain Obvious: Pierce at trial.
The Great Train Robbery / int_3eee0728	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_3eee0728	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_3eee0728
The Great Train Robbery / int_43b154c9	type	Not Even Bothering with the Accent
The Great Train Robbery / int_43b154c9	comment	Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In the film, Donald Sutherland doesn't seem to be attempting a British accent, in spite of all the British slang his character uses.
The Great Train Robbery / int_43b154c9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_43b154c9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_43b154c9
The Great Train Robbery / int_5527dc0c	type	Plot Coupon
The Great Train Robbery / int_5527dc0c	comment	Plot Coupon: The thieves have to collect four keys before robbing the gold.
The Great Train Robbery / int_5527dc0c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_5527dc0c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_5527dc0c
The Great Train Robbery / int_60194b82	type	Spanner in the Works
The Great Train Robbery / int_60194b82	comment	Spanner in the Works: "Clean Willy" (an expert at climbing and a compulsive pickpocket) being caught doing the latter after he escaped prison and him ratting on Pierce's plan in order to get a deal is the first moment that the police even know that the robbery scheme exists, and thus up the security of the wagon. Pierce has Willy killed after dodging a police sting using Willy as bait. In a minor way, Pierce not considering the possibility of his clothes getting soot on during the robbery leads to him switching clothes with Agar, and the coat is tight enough that it rips while he's on the station, drawing the attention of the police who identify him. In the novel's final act, it's Agar's mistress that rats the team out, because she was caught robbing a drunk, thus leading them to be captured after a perfect heist.
The Great Train Robbery / int_60194b82	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_60194b82	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_60194b82
The Great Train Robbery / int_62fd5552	type	Bavarian Fire Drill
The Great Train Robbery / int_62fd5552	comment	Bavarian Fire Drill: Part of the Widow's Weeds scam (and done to prevent anybody from looking too closely at the "corpse"): Miriam "casually" mentions that her husband died of cholera when the policemen open the coffin. Obviously horrified at the possibility of infection, they stop checking.
The Great Train Robbery / int_62fd5552	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_62fd5552	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_62fd5552
The Great Train Robbery / int_77414bc2	type	Action Prologue
The Great Train Robbery / int_77414bc2	comment	Action Prologue: A fight between a guard and a man trying to rob the Crimean gold, who ends up being killed via bring tossed off the high-speed train (and Pierce then passes the body by. Avoids being a invokedBig-Lipped Alligator Moment via a conversation between Pierce and the organizers of the gold transport, showing that this is a semi-regular occurrence and that the measures in place make stealing the gold an Impossible Mission). In the book it's further implied that Pierce himself hired the man to probe the train's defenses.
The Great Train Robbery / int_77414bc2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_77414bc2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_77414bc2
The Great Train Robbery / int_7a08e8d1	type	They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
The Great Train Robbery / int_7a08e8d1	comment	Pierce is "casually outrageous" at his trial, brazenly stating his intent to escape and insulting Lord Cardigan, referring to him as "Mr. James Brudenell" and stating that Cardigan's stupidity on the battlefield was a crime far more worthy of hanging than anything he himself had done.
The Great Train Robbery / int_7a08e8d1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_7a08e8d1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_7a08e8d1
The Great Train Robbery / int_928ca2cc	type	You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
The Great Train Robbery / int_928ca2cc	comment	"Clean Willy" (an expert at climbing and a compulsive pickpocket) being caught doing the latter after he escaped prison and him ratting on Pierce's plan in order to get a deal is the first moment that the police even know that the robbery scheme exists, and thus up the security of the wagon. Pierce has Willy killed after dodging a police sting using Willy as bait.
The Great Train Robbery / int_928ca2cc	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_928ca2cc	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_928ca2cc
The Great Train Robbery / int_aabe2fb	type	Deliberate Values Dissonance
The Great Train Robbery / int_aabe2fb	comment	Deliberate Values Dissonance: Certain aspects of Victorian England are downright bizarre by modern standards, on top of being classist, sexist and racist, to the point that the novel requires several infodumps (admittedly a standard thing to find in a Michael Crichton novel) to explain them.
The Great Train Robbery / int_aabe2fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_aabe2fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_aabe2fb
The Great Train Robbery / int_b77808f2	type	"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
The Great Train Robbery / int_b77808f2	comment	"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: In the novel.
The Great Train Robbery / int_b77808f2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_b77808f2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_b77808f2
The Great Train Robbery / int_bb10f0d3	type	Thieves' Cant
The Great Train Robbery / int_bb10f0d3	comment	Thieves' Cant: The criminal jargon spoken by the underclass in Victorian England could be incomprehensible, even to the ordinary residents of Victorian England. Police detectives and judges often had to have a translator handy, just so they could understand what some informant or witness was saying (even when the person in question was genuinely trying to speak clearly; the trials themselves had to be repeatedly interrupted for translations).
The Great Train Robbery / int_bb10f0d3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_bb10f0d3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_bb10f0d3
The Great Train Robbery / int_beb9a361	type	Anti-Hero
The Great Train Robbery / int_beb9a361	comment	Anti-Hero: Edward Pierce is a professional burglar who poses as a gentleman.
The Great Train Robbery / int_beb9a361	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_beb9a361	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_beb9a361
The Great Train Robbery / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
The Great Train Robbery / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: Clean Willy runs away from Pierce and, hiding just inside a building, hears footsteps coming down the stairs from the upper floor. He's visibly relieved to see it's just a rubber ball bouncing down the stairs, and leans back against a wall. And Barlow reaches through a nearby window from the outside, grabs him by the throat and chokes him to death.
The Great Train Robbery / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_c3c18143
The Great Train Robbery / int_e2cd1428	type	Widow's Weeds
The Great Train Robbery / int_e2cd1428	comment	Widow's Weeds: To gain access to the vault, where a traveling corpse would be stored, Miriam wears a black dress and veil to help convince the conductor her husband is dead.
The Great Train Robbery / int_e2cd1428	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_e2cd1428	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_e2cd1428
The Great Train Robbery / int_e4b69188	type	Very Loosely Based on a True Story
The Great Train Robbery / int_e4b69188	comment	Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The Great Gold Robbery of 1855 did happen in real life. However, a number of details are changed in this story, such as Robert Agar. In this book, Robert Agar was an unintelligent lackey, but the real life version actually masterminded much of the robbery and got away with minor punishment.
The Great Train Robbery / int_e4b69188	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_e4b69188	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_e4b69188
The Great Train Robbery / int_fa068232	type	Bodybag Trick
The Great Train Robbery / int_fa068232	comment	Bodybag Trick: Agar hides inside a coffin to gain access to the train's vault.
The Great Train Robbery / int_fa068232	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_fa068232	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_fa068232
The Great Train Robbery / int_name	type	ItemName
The Great Train Robbery / int_name	comment
The Great Train Robbery / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Train Robbery / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Great Train Robbery / int_name
The Great Train Robbery / int_name	itemName	The Great Train Robbery

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Bodybag Trick / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Buried Alive / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Clock King / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Discouraging Concealment / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Drunk Rolling / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Five-Finger Discount / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Not Even Bothering with the Accent / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Sword Cane / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	The Caper / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	seeAlso	The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Thieves' Cant / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Train Job / int_4f7b8630
The Great Train Robbery	hasFeature	Waking Up at the Morgue / int_4f7b8630

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.