The Split
1968 Directed by Gordon Flemyng
Synopsis
A group of thieves attempt a daring robbery of a football stadium.
Cast
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This movie has a lot going for it. It has a stellar cast: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, Warren Oates, Jim Brown and more. It's a solid, entertaining heist flick. It's up-front about racial tension (despite being the brains of the outfit, everybody always assumes the white guy with him is in charge). And, last but not least, a pretty great Quincy Jones soundtrack.
There are a few issues that keep it from being a classic crime flick though: the pacing is odd, the film is strangely tension-free, important things happen off-screen, and Jim Brown, while pretty good overall, isn't really the guy to carry a movie. There's also some weird choices in the film- particularly the ultra-creepy thing…
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As with all Richard Stark books Parker is a great character with so much cinematic potential that is wasted by inferior Hollywood product. This one was actually very good considering how many changes were made to the source material and the fact that it was made in the late 60s. Get past the cheese and what's left is a great heist double cross story performed by some seriously good actors to the sounds of Quincy Jones.
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I'm glad I decided to watch this, I was almost going to delete it off my Foxtel box because it doesn't have great reviews here or on IMDb. But the undeniably awesome cast won me over.
It is a short and sharp heist thriller with plenty of intense moments and wonderfully clever character intros. Things get a little crazy towards the end and the film does spin out of control, it even gets a little dark, but up until then it was so much fun that the shortcomings of the third act are easily forgiven.
For those that want to watch this for Gene Hackman, be warned he doesn't appear until the 70 minute mark in a 90 minute film.
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Pretty bad. Extra star for the vintage Green Bay Packers footage.
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November 1, 1968-the MPAA first introduces Its Voluntary Letter based Rating system.
Rated G: General Audiences – Suggested for General Audiences – All Ages Admitted
Rated M: Mature Audiences – Suggested for Mature Audiences (Parental Discretion Advised)
Rated R: Restricted – Persons Under 16 Not Admitted Unless Accompanied by Parent or Adult Guardian
Rated X: Adults Only – Persons Under 16 will not be Admitted
The first film to be released with an an R rating, on Nov 4, was this MGM Heist film that I just decided to DVR off of TCM on a lark. Split screen credits roll...starring Jim Brown, knew that. Hackman? Hmm. Warren Oates? Done! Donny Sutherland? Cool. Ernie Borgnine? C'mon! Donald 'Point Blank', 'Grifters', 'The… -
Diving into my Christmas “Warner Archive” purchases, I pulled the first disc off the stack I bought. “The Split”, starring a plethora of late ‘60s icons, stars Jim Brown as a criminal drifter who formulates a plan to rob the L.A. Coliseum of a half a million dollars in ticket sale revenue during a Rams game. In order to pull off this daring heist, he enlists the help of a group of past associates who each seem to have a specialty. Warren Oates is a safecracker and all around tech geek, Earnest Borgnine is the muscle, Donald Sutherland seems to be the firearm guy, and Jack Klugman simply seems to be along for the ride. Unfortunately, all does not go…
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As with all Richard Stark books Parker is a great character with so much cinematic potential that is wasted by inferior Hollywood product. This one was actually very good considering how many changes were made to the source material and the fact that it was made in the late 60s. Get past the cheese and what's left is a great heist double cross story performed by some seriously good actors to the sounds of Quincy Jones.
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This movie has a lot going for it. It has a stellar cast: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, Warren Oates, Jim Brown and more. It's a solid, entertaining heist flick. It's up-front about racial tension (despite being the brains of the outfit, everybody always assumes the white guy with him is in charge). And, last but not least, a pretty great Quincy Jones soundtrack.
There are a few issues that keep it from being a classic crime flick though: the pacing is odd, the film is strangely tension-free, important things happen off-screen, and Jim Brown, while pretty good overall, isn't really the guy to carry a movie. There's also some weird choices in the film- particularly the ultra-creepy thing…
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The best thing definitely is the cast. They could have concentrated more on the actual heist though. Still a fun watch.
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Solid caper effort has Jim Brown robbing a football stadium (irony!) with a veritable Dirty Dozen reunion squad of Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, Jack Klugman and Warren Oates. Most of the action takes place after the heist, with Brown’s girlfriend shot and the money missing. Underrated for sure, though it does get a bit draggy in the middle. Despite a couple pop songs, Quincy Jones’ score is less annoying than usual.