The Big Job

The story unfolds across two eras: the 1950 London post-war milieu when the bank job occurs, and 1965 when the men are released and attempt to retrieve the loot. Britain’s landscape shifts from austerity to rapid redevelopment, with a housing estate springing up around the original crime scene. The changing times amplify the comedy of plan after plan, as the past collides with the present.

The action centers on London in the early 1950s, expanding from the city to a quiet rural fringe. A newly built housing estate encroaches on fields where a hollow tree hides the stolen money, turning a simple landmark into a potential prize. The tree sits near the boundary wall of a local police station, making the site a tense focal point for both criminals and law enforcement.

💰 Capers

A bank robbery and a hijacked getaway set the stage for a series of ambitious, ridiculous schemes. The criminals rely on bravado and misdirection, but luck and human error derail every attempt. The plot layers humor with a reminder that crime is fragile and often self-defeating. The eventual reveal—money shredded by mice—adds a sharp irony to the caper.

🧭 Plans and Deception

The gang uses disguises and false identities to appear respectable, swapping rooms and staging alibis. Their carefully laid plans hinge on trust and timing, which quickly fray under pressure and suspicion. Each scheme misreads the other characters, turning ambition into comic misfortune. The deception becomes a mirror for the characters’ flawed relationships.

⏳ Time and Irony

The film juxtaposes two eras: the post-war 1950s London and the mid-1960s modernization that reshapes the crime scene. What was once a secluded countryside hideout is now enveloped by a housing estate and a police presence. The irony of a fortune hidden in a hollow tree within a police courtyard underscores how time erodes plans. Fate, rather than cleverness, determines whether the loot is ever recovered.