The Brink's Job

1978

The Brink's Job

Critics Consensus

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The Brink's Job Photos

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Movie Info

A handful of bumbling crooks pull off the heist of the century in spite of themselves in this blend of comedy and action. Tony Pino (Peter Faulk) is a small time crook whose attempts to stage large scale robberies have a habit of going very, very wrong, and he fares better at running a diner and fencing stolen radios than making a living as a thief. However, while casing out a Goodwill office with his brother in law Vinnie (Allen Goorwitz) in hopes of robbing the safe, Tony notices the Brink's Armored Car Company's building near by, and starts to wonder how hard it would be to break in. The more Tony investigates, the more he discovers the security at Brink's is more a matter of reputation than intricate design, and that getting in after hours would be within his abilities. Tony assembles a crew of thieves -- clumsy Vinnie, sharp-dressing bookie Jazz (Paul Sorvino), money launderer Joe (Peter Boyle), fast-talking but edgy Specs (Warren Oates), funny man Stanley (Kevin J. O'Connor) and nice guy Sandy (Gerard Murphy) -- and together they pull off the biggest cash robbery of their time, walking away with $1.5 million. But stealing the money is one thing -- keeping their mouths shut and not going crazy as they wait for the statute of limitations to run out on the job is something else. Also starring Gena Rowlands, The Brink's Job was inspired by the real life robbery of the Brink's company's Boston headquarters in January 1950; as the ends credits note, at the time of the movie's release in 1978, it was the only successful robbery of a Brink's company building, though a Brink's armored car would be ambushed by thieves in Nanuet, New York in 1980.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

Comedy, Drama
Directed By:

William Friedkin
Written By:

Walon Green
In Theaters:

Dec 8, 1978 wide
Runtime:

103 minutes
Studio:

Universal

Watch it now

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Cast

Peter Falk
as Tony Pino

Peter Boyle
as Joe McGinnis

Warren Oates
as Specs O'Keefe

Allen Garfield
as Vinnie Costa

Gena Rowlands
as Mary Pino

Paul Sorvino
as Jazz Maffie

Sheldon Leonard
as J. Edgar Hoover

Gerard Murphy
as Sandy Richardson

Kevin O'Connor
as Stanley `Guss' Gusciora

Claudia Peluso
as Gladys

Patrick Hines
as H.H. Rightmire

Malachy McCourt
as Mutt Murphy

Walter Klavun
as Daniels

Randy Jurgensen
as FBI Agent

John Brandon
as FBI Agent

Earl Hindman
as FBI Agent

John Farrel
as FBI Agent

John Farrell
as F.B.I. Agent

Angela Morley

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Critic Reviews for The Brink's Job

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (2)

The Brink's Job comes off as a black comedy with a sour, misplaced sense of humor. Falk also seems misplaced...

Dec 17, 2018 | Full Review…

Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic
The movie is told in three different parts. The first features a sense of humor that progressively disappears. The second focuses on the bank robbers and their act. And the third reflects on the multiple consequences. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 7, 2019 | Full Review…

Augusto Martínez Torres
El Pais (Spain)
The Brink's Job never really catches fire, with both the humor and the suspense simmering on low for too much of the time.

Jul 6, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
What a surprise, and kind of a welcome one, that "The Brink's Job" is as much a character-based comedy as it is a thriller.

Jul 2, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Arguably William Friedkin's funniest film.

Oct 10, 2008 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

View All Critic Reviews (8)

Audience Reviews for The Brink's Job

Nov 06, 2008

Fun heist film (from the director of the Exorcist??) with a fine cast of underrated actors.

Anthony V Super Reviewer
Jul 04, 2008

Uninteresting & not funny

Arash X Super Reviewer