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MOVIE: King of Thieves STARS: Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Ray Winstone, Charlie Cox.

DIRECTOR: James Marsh

RATING: M REVIEWER: Vicky Roach VERDICT: 3/5 stars

THE small-time gangsters at the heart of this British heist flick might look like a bunch of harmless old codgers, but their dog-eared police files tell a different story.

And when push comes to shove – as it inevitably does – superannuated stereotypes come in for a mild bruising.

Michael Caine leads an all-star cast that includes Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and Ray Winstone in King of Thieves, based on the real-life Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015.

Seldom has the “one last job” scenario been applied so literally – most of the burglars were in their late 60s or 70s. Tempted by a young wannabe with limited social skills but a superior knowledge of security systems (Charlie Cox), retired jewel thief Brian Reader (Caine) rounds up a bunch of usual suspects.

The initial break-in goes relatively smoothly.

But as the errors multiply, due to a combination of human error and age-related infirmity, the job begins to unravel.

When slippery lookout John Kenny Collins (Courtney) enlists the services of his brother-in-law, Billy “The Fish” Lincoln (Gambon) without consultation, Reader loses his nerve.

Hard men Terry Perkins (an unusually nasty Broadbent) and Danny Jones (Winstone) fill the power vacuum. And the new guy bears the brunt of their bully-boy tactics.

Thus unfolds a complex tale of greed, betrayal, incompetence and sheer bloody-mindedness that should have been more compelling than it is.