DIAMOND GEEZERS
KING OF THIEVES The Hatton Garden heist gets its flashiest big-screen outing yet…
Never mind honour among thieves, Teasers is bearing witness to a major crime. It’s June 2017 at Ealing Studios and some ageing lags, dressed in caps and hi-vis jackets, are trying to crack open a huge metal door. Don’t call the Old Bill just yet, though: this is the set for James Marsh’s King Of Thieves.
The subject is London’s infamous 2015 Hatton Garden jewellery raid, when veteran criminals broke into a safety deposit box stronghold, stealing an estimated £200 million. Dubbed the “largest burglary in English legal history”, it’s already generated two low‑budget movies. This is the glossier version, with a cast including Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay and Paul Whitehouse.
So why did it capture the public imagination? “It seemed such an old‑fashioned robbery. It was like a throwback to the ’70s,” argues Winstone, who plays felon Danny Jones. “They weren’t only old, they were non‑violent,” adds Caine, who stars as gang leader Brian Reader. “They didn’t
have any weapons or guns. They didn’t hurt anybody.”
While nobody here is condoning criminality, there’s a bit of admiration for the way a bunch of old‑timers ripped off London’s jewellery district during a sleepy Easter weekend. “A thief is a thief, let’s get it right,” says Winstone. “But they didn’t walk in and put a gun to some girl’s head who sits behind the counter. It’s a bit Robin Hood, without them giving away the money to anyone else!”
On set, the atmosphere is party‑like. “Everybody is a bloody comedian,” laughs Caine. Chief among them Paul Whitehouse, entertaining everyone with impersonations. “He never stops.” But the actor‑ comedian, who plays Carl Wood, has given thought to the mindset of these criminals. “Were they excited? Full of adrenaline, cool about it, frightened?” he wonders, before breaking into a Basil Fawlty voice.
Random? Not really given that co‑star Charlie Cox is playing Basil, the mysterious never‑identified figure and the one that got away (all the rest got caught and most are serving jail time). “I like to think he’s on a nice yacht somewhere!” smiles Cox, the baby of the group who still can’t quite believe he’s working with all these legends. “When I heard the cast, I said to James, ‘I’ll play third tree from the left!’”
So how do you bill this? OAP’s Eleven, maybe? With Caine on board it’s hard not to think of The Italian Job. “Maybe it’s The Italian Job grown old,” he chuckles. One thing he’s not concerned about is following the earlier, poorly reviewed efforts, like The Hatton Garden Job. “We were worried someone was going to do some great masterpiece,” he winks. “But there’s still room!”
ETA | 14 SEPTEMBER / KING OF THIEVES OPENS NEXT MONTH.