The Big Job

A gang led by George 'The Great' Brain robs a London bank, stealing £50,000. They escape in a hearse, dressed as undertakers to avoid suspicion. The pursuit drives them into the countryside as they attempt to flee.

Before they are caught, George manages to conceal the loot in the trunk of a hollow tree. The stash remains hidden as the chase continues into the countryside.

The gang is arrested after the botched heist. They are sentenced to fifteen years in Wormwood Scrubs prison. The money sits hidden in the tree, untouched for now.

In 1965, after serving their sentences, the gang is released and returns to the spot where the loot was left. They discover the landscape has changed, with the area now built over by a new town and housing estate. The tree ends up lying inside the grounds of the local police station, near the boundary wall.

The gang rents a nearby house and takes two double rooms on the first floor, with one room facing the tree. They use false names: Mr and Mrs Hook, Mr Line, and Dr Sinker. To appear respectable, George agrees to marry his longtime girlfriend Myrtle Robbins, complicating their plan to retrieve the loot.

During their arrangement, the gang discovers a third room is rented to a local policeman staying in the house. This raises the stakes as they try to conceal their illegal activities from him. The presence of an official resident adds tension to their schemes.

To observe the tree's location, they borrow a seaside telescope that requires a penny every five minutes. The device gives them a way to monitor any movements around the tree while planning a break for the loot. It also highlights their amateurish planning and lack of sophistication.

Their first plan is to steal a ladder to climb over the wall around the property. The ladder is promptly stolen back by someone else, foiling their attempt. The setback reveals the limits of their overconfident criminal ingenuity.

The second plan involves firing a harpoon with a rope to pull the tree or reach the wall. The attempt is impractical and fails, demonstrating the gang's growing desperation. The tree remains a stubborn obstacle.

The third plan is to tunnel under the wall. Dr Sinker swaps rooms with the landlady due to a misunderstanding, and by doing so, gains access to the lower room. The adjustment allows them to probe the grounds more directly, though it creates new complications.

While attempting the tunnel, the police choir accidentally falls into the tunnel, halting the informal break-in. The incident adds a farcical tone to the gang's efforts and undermines their plan. It also raises the risk of exposure for everyone involved.

Frustrated by the men's failures, the women in the households devise their own plan to claim the loot. Their scheme is surprisingly effective, showing a new dimension to the group's dynamics. The women push ahead while the men continue to bungle the attempts.

The women succeed in gaining some portion of the money only to discover the cash has already been shredded by mice nesting in the hollow tree. The stash is ruined, rendering the long-planned heist futile. The gang's efforts ultimately fail to recover the money.

With the tree's loot destroyed by the rodents, the criminals realize their efforts have come to nothing. The film closes on a note of ironic misfortune as the money disappears into mice and rot. The would-be fortune becomes a cautionary tale of bad luck and poor planning.