Great Van Robbery – 1959 | 71 mins | Drama, Crime | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Routine British crime thriller from second-feature specialists the Danziger Brothers. Denis Shaw convincingly plays Interpol detective Caesar Smith and belies his hefty build to display a nifty line in judo and self-defence. The photographer was Nicolas Roeg, who would later become the distinguished director of such films as Walkabout and Don’t Look Now.

When a Brazilian man attempts to open a bank account in Rio de Janeiro with £18,000 in stolen bank notes traced to a robbery from a Royal Mint van in London, Scotland Yard send bulky Interpol detective Caesar Smith (Denis Shaw) to Brazil to investigate. Smith discovers the money had been used to buy 60 tonnes of coffee bound for Italian shipping firm Gavotti Sembra and immediately flies to Rome on the trail of the coffee. In Italy, Mara Chillini (Vera Fusek) admits to striking a private import deal for the coffee but declares she had no involvement with the crooks and shipped the coffee to France for Marcel Imports.

When Smith reaches France he ascertains Marcel has cleared out and the coffee is bound for Tilbury Docks in London. The inspector is on a plane bound for London without delay, and after briefly checking in at Scotland Yard, heads to see importer Ralph Chase (Philip Saville) at his dockside warehouse. Chase claims the buyer was Sam Venner (Geoffrey Hibbert), but when Venner turns up dead and there is an attempt on Smith’s life – the inspector realises he is getting close to the crooks.