The Professionals *** (1960, William Lucas, Andrew Faulds, Colette Wilde, Stratford Johns) – Classic Movie Review 13,374

The Professionals (1960, William Lucas, Colette Wilde).

The suspenseful and absorbing 1960 British heist thriller The Professionals stars William Lucas, Andrew Faulds, Colette Wilde and Stratford Johns, in which gang of criminals plan to break into a London city bank vault via the sewer system beneath it.

Director Don Sharp’s suspenseful and absorbing 1960 British crime heist thriller The Professionals stars William Lucas, Andrew Faulds, Colette Wilde and Stratford Johns, in which gang of criminals plan to break into a London city bank vault via the sewer system beneath it.

Posing as police, a gang of criminals – calm and collected Joe Lawson (Stratford Johns) and his dodgy mates Vince Clayton (Edward Cast) and Charles Vance (Eddie Holden) – walk boldly in and rob an English suburban bank, while one of them waits for the other two in the getaway vehicle disguised as a police car.

Lawson then enlists safe cracker Philip Bowman (William Lucas) in his plan to put into effect Bowman’s masterplan to rob a city bank. Bowman is slightly reluctant, as he is just out of prison after a four-year stretch and is about to marry his girlfriend Ruth (Colette Wilde), who wants him to stay on the straight and narrow. But he agrees. The £100,000 robbery is on. Full on.

The thieves meticulously set out to rob the bank overnight, Bowman’s wedding set for the day after, while Inspector Rankin (Andrew Faulds) is still following the case of the earlier robbery, with the help of an informer.

Fourth-billed Stratford Johns’s intense, determined performance is the highlight of the movie, though William Lucas is also smooth and polished as the main star. Both are excellent. Andrew Faulds is less good but okay as the Inspector, normally a fool-proof role. Edward Cast and Eddie Holden are less good still but adequate as the other crooks.

Colette Wilde plays Bowman’s girlfriend Ruth, and Vilma Ann Leslie plays Lawson’s girlfriend Mabel. The two sole females in the cast are the weakest links, especially with posh-voiced Colette Wilde over-emoting shamelessly, but then their roles are quite poorly and boringly written.

The black and white cinematography by Michael Reed and the music by William Alwyn are really quite special. Don Sharp’s direction is commendable, focused and dynamic. The first robbery sequence is quick-paced and suspenseful, and main robbery sequence is excitingly handled, with no words from the robbers to get in the way of the action.

English Olivier Award-winning playwright Peter Barnes’s original script is pretty good, finding fresh takes on the old situations, and fresh characters to liven it up. We know it is all going to go wrong, somehow, but Barnes effectively maintains interest by involving us in the game of guessing just how. Are the crooks going to get away? All of them? Any of them? Just how can this brilliantly planned operation go wrong?

After many years in obscurity, it has turned up on Talking Pictures TV in 2025 in a beautiful print.

The Professionals was filmed at Pinewood Studios, presumably to take advantage of their tank for the sewer scenes. It is made by Independent Artists.

The cast

The cast are William Lucas as Philip Bowman, Andrew Faulds as Inspector Rankin, Colette Wilde as Ruth, Stratford Johns as Joe Lawson, Vilma Ann Leslie as Mabel, Edward Cast as Vince Clayton, Charles Vance as Eddie Holden, Jack May as Edwards, Eric Corrie as detective, Arthur Skinner as plainclothes man, Douglas Muir as Beaumont, David Williams as constable, Arthur Hewlett as Hoskins, Patrick Boxill as Renagan, Stuart Hillier as Condor, Raymond Ray as night watchman, and Noel Coleman as Chief Inspector.

The Professionals is directed by Don Sharp, runs 61 minutes, is made by Independent Artists, is released by Anglo-Amalgamated, is written by Peter Barnes, is produced by Norman Priggen, is shot by Michael Reed, is scored by William Alwyn.

Release date: 6 June 1960 (UK).

The Top 30 British heist movies

The Top 30 British heist movies

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,374

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