Topkapi (1964)
a film by Jules Dassin
This could be just another heist movie but it is not. Topkapi has the amazing views of Istambul that make the audience dream of knowing this city. It is a comedy but also a carefully planned and executed heist movie with an ambitious goal. I knew that the idea of having character hanging from the ceiling over a touch-sensitive floor couldn't be the creation of Mission Impossible and in this movie I found its primary source.
This is a carefully constructed heist film, the details of the plot are millimetrically calculated and set in the scenes, so even the twists in the plot are solved in ingenious and entertaining way. But heist stories have been told a thousand times and although Dassin is a genius of the details of the big hit -as he shows brilliantly in Rififi- what separates Topkapi from the bulk of stories of a group of people trying to steal something are two things: the city and the characters.
I'm pretty sure is not included in any city tour so it is definitively worth seeing this groups of thieves sneaking their way through the domes of the Topkapi palace. The music and the images of the city are an open invitation to Istambul.
The cast of this movie is probably one of the most particular that can be found in this genre. There is an English toy maker, an Italian trapezist and a German muscle man but there is also a fool: Arthur Simpson. It is this character what brings freshness and amusement to the movie and a story that could easily fall in taking itself too seriously. There is also the presence of Melina Mercouri who I find both disturbing and interesting and serves as pivotal point for this crew of thieves.
Topkapi is a film that may seem simple when competing with the modern heist films but that captures the essence of the genre. The story of a group of thieves trying to steal something has been told a thousand times so it is the details what ultimately make the film memorable and makes Topkapi a source where films are still drinking from. But who care about primary sources, maybe it is all about feeling in Istambul for a few moments.
a film by Jules Dassin
This could be just another heist movie but it is not. Topkapi has the amazing views of Istambul that make the audience dream of knowing this city. It is a comedy but also a carefully planned and executed heist movie with an ambitious goal. I knew that the idea of having character hanging from the ceiling over a touch-sensitive floor couldn't be the creation of Mission Impossible and in this movie I found its primary source.
This is a carefully constructed heist film, the details of the plot are millimetrically calculated and set in the scenes, so even the twists in the plot are solved in ingenious and entertaining way. But heist stories have been told a thousand times and although Dassin is a genius of the details of the big hit -as he shows brilliantly in Rififi- what separates Topkapi from the bulk of stories of a group of people trying to steal something are two things: the city and the characters.
I'm pretty sure is not included in any city tour so it is definitively worth seeing this groups of thieves sneaking their way through the domes of the Topkapi palace. The music and the images of the city are an open invitation to Istambul.
The cast of this movie is probably one of the most particular that can be found in this genre. There is an English toy maker, an Italian trapezist and a German muscle man but there is also a fool: Arthur Simpson. It is this character what brings freshness and amusement to the movie and a story that could easily fall in taking itself too seriously. There is also the presence of Melina Mercouri who I find both disturbing and interesting and serves as pivotal point for this crew of thieves.
Topkapi is a film that may seem simple when competing with the modern heist films but that captures the essence of the genre. The story of a group of thieves trying to steal something has been told a thousand times so it is the details what ultimately make the film memorable and makes Topkapi a source where films are still drinking from. But who care about primary sources, maybe it is all about feeling in Istambul for a few moments.
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