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A Prize of Arms1962

  • Classic Crime
  • British
  • 1hr 40m
  • Directed by Cliff Owen
  • 4.0
A gang of criminals acquire an old army truck and try to pass themselves off as military policemen. Their plan is to steal a £250,000 payroll intended for soldiers in the Middle East. Turpin (Stanley Baker) recruits Fenner (Tom Bell) and Swavek (Helmut Schmid) to make up a crack assault team. The three criminals plan their daring robbery with meticulous precision and timing and as dawn breaks, they head into the army camp for their date with destiny. As the duty guard raises the barrier Turpin knows there can be no turning back. His desperate gamble for riches will now be played out to its shattering climax.

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Member Reviews (1)

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Don A.
top reviewer

Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". Finagle's corollary is usually rendered as "at the worst possible moment." These general principles are even more likely to become actualized as the scheme grows in complexity.

Turpin (Stanley Baker) is the brains of a 3 man criminal enterprise. He recruits Fenner (Tom Bell) and Swavek (Helmut Schmid) to break into a military compound and pilfer the payroll. The caper is well thought-out and planned down to the second. The plot and fast-paced action reminded me of one of the excellent "Mission Impossible" series episodes from 1960's television.

As contingencies arise, Turpin is cool, calm and collected. Nothing rattles him even when his compatriots don't follow the carefully laid-out plan. When he is questioned, he always comes up with a quick and believable reply. His strategy relies on misdirection and a great deal of patience.

After a number of set-backs and recoveries, the gang is finally in the clear (or so it seems). Could just plain-old bad luck throw a monkey wrench into such a perfect plan?