King of Thieves (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Brian decided to pull out because he felt the risk was too great after the faulty jack broke during the first attempt. The equipment failure left them scrambling and behind schedule, making him believe continuing would be too dangerous. However, he still provided Basil with the locations of the most valuable safety deposit boxes, allowing the crew to complete the job without him.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the planning, Brian admits to being older and slower, hinting at his wavering confidence.

• brian reader
• hatton garden
• heist pull out
• thieves quit

Basil approached Brian at his home and convinced him to provide the valuable box information by promising Brian a larger share of the loot. Brian wrote down the locations of the boxes containing the most valuable diamonds and made Basil promise to give him half of Basil's own cut in return for Brian's tacit approval to proceed.

• basil
• brian reader
• diamonds
• safety deposit boxes
• negotiation

Basil realized the older thieves never intended to split the loot fairly with him. When they gathered to divide the over £14 million in jewels and cash, Basil feared he would be shortchanged on his share. He grabbed a chunk of cash and the high-value diamonds Brian had identified and fled, taking what he believed was rightfully his portion.

Foreshadowing: The tension between the seasoned older thieves and the younger Basil was evident from the start, with Danny keeping a wary eye on the odds.

• basil
• diamonds
• betrayal
• loot split
• betrayal among thieves

Police identified the thieves through CCTV footage that traced a car linked to one of the suspects. The license plate led to identities, and investigators then tapped the gang's phones and shadowed their movements, building enough evidence to arrest them during their planned final split of the loot.

• police investigation
• cctv
• arrest
• hatton garden
• evidence

Basil escaped by wearing a disguise during the Easter weekend when the police moved in. While the rest of the gang was arrested at their meeting point and Brian was taken into custody at his home, Basil had already fled with part of the loot and the diamonds, remaining at large.

• basil escape
• disguise
• arrest
• at large
• hatton garden robbers

The heavy cabinet protecting the vault was being moved using a hydraulic jack, but the jack was faulty and broke while they were trying to push the cabinet away from the wall. This mishap threw their timetable into jeopardy and forced them to retreat and return with a better tool to complete the job.

• faulty jack
• vault cabinet
• heist problem
• equipment failure

Brian is accepted as the de facto leader because he organized the entire operation, assembled the crew, and made the key decisions throughout the planning phase. Even after backing out of the physical heist, his role as mastermind and orchestrator earned him the group's respect. The film shows the thieves reverting to him as their unspoken leader when facing court.

Foreshadowing: Brian is introduced as the retired thief whose funeral reunion sparks the entire plan, establishing his stature among the crew.

• brian reader
• leadership
• crew
• mastermind
• respect among thieves

The crew chose Easter weekend specifically because it provided a longer window of time inside the deposit building while minimizing the chance of exposure. The holiday meant fewer people around and more time to complete the complex operation without raising suspicion.

• easter weekend
• timing
• heist planning
• hatton garden safe deposit

Police were monitoring the gang's communications and movements through phone taps and surveillance. When they learned the thieves were planning their final split of the loot, law enforcement moved in at the meeting point to arrest them all at once.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the timeline shows police widening their net with phone taps, building toward this coordinated arrest.

• police arrest
• final split
• surveillance
• phone taps
• meeting point

The thieves appear calm and seemingly accepting of their sentences because they are older men who have lived a lifetime of crime and understand the consequences. The film suggests they view their prison time as simply another chapter in their criminal careers, showing a weary acceptance rather than distress.

• court sentence
• prison
• acceptance
• consequences
• older thieves