Harockerce What a beautiful movie!

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

jc-osms Yet another quirky, fun Ealing Comedy with main man Alec Guinness again taking the lead as the dull, downtrodden gold bullion inspector who waits twenty years to come up with a foolproof inside-job heist to foster his dream of living it up in some exotic South American country. His unlikely accomplices are old lags Sid James and Alfie Bass, while his right hand man is antique reproducer Stanley Holloway who unwittingly inspires Guinness's gold-plated idea for concealing the goods.As ever, it's all very stylish and yet knockabout stuff, from the bizarre way Guinness and Holloway "advertise" their need for their henchmen, the crazy mixed-up car chase through London, their dizzying race down the Eiffel Tower, the visit to the young girls school to attempt to get back the six golden Eiffels, another crazy mixed-up chase at the Police Training School not to mention the delightfully concise and unexpected resolution at the end.Within these disparate elements there are many memorable details which just stick in the brain like Guinness reading pulp fiction to his avid OAP landlady, a fully tied up and gagged Guinness throwing himself on the ground and into the Thames to make the robbery look real, Holloway's absent-minded pilfering of a street trader's painting ("It was a Landseer last week!"), which jeopardises the operation, Guinness's escape in and out of a London Tube Station to escape the pursuing policemen, Guinness and Holloway's hilarious attempts to board a boat in the face of French red-tape inscrutability and even a blink and you'll miss it cameo by a very young Audrey Hepburn as a grateful chanteuse down Mexico way, all this and more might give you an idea of the structured yet skittish way it's all knitted together, although what a crazy patchwork quilt it is in the end.Best not to examine the plot strands too much and how they go together, just go with the flow as they say and savour in particular Guinness's admirable submersion in his role as well as director Crichton's breakneck direction style - especially the descent from the Eiffel Tower which will have you reeling. I rather agree with the sentiment that they should have all, or at least Guinness, gotten away with it, but I suppose the "crime doesn't pay" moral was important for the austere times, although as I said earlier the adroit way old Alec gets his own comeuppance makes for a memorable ending. Any Ealing Comedy, especially those starring Guinness, is worth watching and this crazy caper is definitely one of them.

Leofwine_draca THE LAVENDER HILL MOB is the first of the classic Ealing comedies I've watched. For the first half of the film it's a familiar enough heist story, in which an unlikely group of robbers come together to pull off an audacious robbery involving a huge quantity of gold bullion. So far, so familiar; not bad, but hardly the stuff of greatness. Then the second half kicks in, and things change entirely.The film becomes a journey following the exploits of unlikely duo Stanley Holloway and Alec Guinness as they go on a hunt for part of the missing shipment, which has by now been melted down and turned into miniature Eiffel towers! Suddenly the story is bizarre, madcap, and crammed to the hilt with genuinely laugh out loud comic moments. The dizzying scene on the Eiffel tower is a highlight but it's the chase-themed climax which is the real stuff of greatness.THE LAVENDER HILL MOB is a noteworthy movie for featuring performances from future greats. Audrey Hepburn's here in a single scene as a waitress, while Robert Shaw also makes his debut. You can even see Desmond Llewelyn (Bond's Q) if you look closely enough. The production values are top notch and the film as a whole has a witty and intelligent air to it which is missing from most modern comedies. I can't wait to check out more of the studio's work.

pruthvishrathod Another awesome comedy from Ealing studios era. Movie is very simple crime comedy but the involvement of Alec Guinness leads it to an other level. He is a genius actor, there is no second thought about it. It is about some normal lawful folks with ambitions of better living. They are fed up with normal life and finally take a big step to change their life-style. The crime portion is not much of importance but the humor within it, behavior of characters and all the little things in the screenplay which makes it a remarkable one. Movie is very short in length and follows straight routine. It never stick to a particular point. It has lots of ironic things involved in it. And I just can't imagine a better ending. Stanley Halloway also delivers a good performance but the movie belongs to Guinness only. The best thing about this film is that it never looses its cool. And loved the dialogues. There is also Audrey Hepburn cameo in it.

gavin6942 A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.What is great about this film ,as others have said, is its simplicity. The film is short, the story is pretty simple, and it is just fun. Well made, but fun. It is a bank heist, but not a crime drama. It is a comedy, but not outrageous (most of the time). It is just a light story with enjoyable characters.Watch this film if you like bank heists or old comedies, because this is great for both of those. Maybe do not watch this if you are looking for Audrey Hepburn. Yes, she is in it, and yes, this is a very early role for her... but you can't say she "stars" in it or even call her a supporting actress. This is Alec Guinness all the way.