The Brink's Job

Even the best filmmakers aren't without their clunkers, and Director William Friedkin has gone on record citing "The Brink's Job" as one of his disappointments. He said the film "has some nice moments, despite thinly drawn characters, but it left no footprint. There's little intensity or suspense and the humor is an acquired taste. The film doesn't shout, it doesn't sing - it barely whispers."

This is one of the occasions where I actually agree. The star-studded cast of "The Brink's Job" can't enliven the film that kind of just rambles along toward a conclusion, although it's not without its whimsical moments. The story of the real-life heist of the Brink's Building in Boston in 1950 is interesting because of the work that went into it and the investigation that brought the downfall of the thugs who perpetrated the crime. Yet, the film's very loose structure and atonal handling of the material make any thrills fall flat.

Tony Pino (Peter Falk) is a career criminal looking for the heist that gets him out of the life. When he sees a line of Brink's trucks not be closely guarded, he organizes a scheme to hijack them. After robbing a few, he gets the thirst for more, so he infiltrates the Brink's headquarters which also doesn't have tough security measures. He and a grand ensemble that includes Paul Sorvino, Warren Oates, Peter Boyle, Paul Sorvino, and Allen Garfield pull off the remarkable stunt despite their dunderheaded natures. Such is where "The Brink's Job" lays its interests, on watching a handful of bumbling men fail upwards until there's nowhere to go but down.

Peter Falk, in particular, is the big highlight of the film. The man had a knack for playing men whose fatal flaw is his own confidence, and he carries "The Brink's Job" as much as he can. Gena Rowlands thanklessly plays his wife who also admires his cunning wit and ability to pull off crimes. The real star is the production design of the film, which beautifully recreates 1950s-era Boston. "The Brinks Job" even earned an Oscar nomination for art direction at the 51st Academy Awards. It's just a shame the cast of characters filling those locations are never well defined enough to give the film any thematic heft. They're obscured by a director that doesn't know what stance to take or if there's a stance to take on the story.

Now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics label, "The Brink's Job" does look and sound great. A solid grain field is carried over to the video transfer, which is nice considering the film was shot on 35mm and in Technicolor. There's a great appreciation of the film on a new audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson, which rightfully highlights the strengths of Friedkin and the failings of this project. Other special features include:

� Theatrical Trailer

"The Brink's Job"
Kino Lorber Blu-ray
$29.95
https://www.klstudioclassics.com/product