“Both a joyous comedy and a tense thriller”
Henry Holland (Alec Guiness) has worked for 20 years as a bank transfer agent for the delivery of gold bullion. A shy retiring man, completely inconsequential to his employers, he has long dreamt of a way to execute his plan of the perfect gold robbery – the only catch being how to move the stolen gold. One day he befriends Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway), a maker of souvenirs. Holland remarks that with Pendlebury’s smelting equipment, he could forge the gold into harmless-looking toy Eiffel Towers and smuggle the gold from England into France. Soon after, the two plant a story to gain the services of professional criminals Lackery (Sid James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass). Together the four plot their crime, leading to unexpected twists and turns.