Jules Dassin was an American film director whose career was ruined by the Hollywood Blacklist. he moved to Europe in the 1950's and reinvented himself in European cinema so well that people thought he was actually Greek and not American.
he started his new career with the classic heist film Rififi. he returned to the genre in 1964 and made Topkapi, one of the first heist films with comic overtones.
The film starts Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell as a group of thieves who plan to break into the famous Topkapi museum in Istanbul and steal the emerald covered dagger of Sultan Muhamed I on display. The dagger is so well protected that Schell, the leader must design a complicated plan to gain access to the museum and swipe the dagger.
Ustinov is Arthur Simpson a petty thief working the tourists of Greece. A man named Walter Harper and his companion Elizabeth Lipp (Mercouri) hire Simpson to drive their car from to Turkey and meet up with them in Istanbul. Crossing the Turkish border the custom officials discover guns and grenades hidden in the car. Simpson is roped into spying on Harper and Lipp by Turkish intelligence. At first Simpson thinks Harper, Lipp and their crew are spies, but after an unfortunate accident the group must take Simpson into their confidence since an extra man is needed to complete the plan. Simpson reveals that Turkish intelligence is following them and now the team must work to elude capture and steal the gems.
The film features one of the more elaborate heists scenes ever put on film. The suspense and humor intertwine harmoniously right up until the end. Filmed on location the film definitely has a European flair to it. Ustinov won an Academy Award for his performance, but oddly, for Best Supporting Actor, even though he is one of the primary stars.
The film ending jokingly sets up a sequel, but this group of thieves was so engaging one wishes it got made.
At the Movie House rating *** 1/2 stars.
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