The Ladykillers

Mrs. Wilberforce is a sweet, eccentric widow who lives alone in a house perched over a railway tunnel. Her days are tranquil, yet her active imagination keeps her engaged with the world around her. She is a familiar figure at the local police station, where she reports fanciful suspicions about her neighborhood.

A sly con man named Marcus approaches Mrs. Wilberforce with a seemingly innocent offer to rent rooms. He hides a darker aim and presents the group as harmless tenants. He intends to use the house as a base for a sophisticated security-van robbery at the nearby railway station.

Marcus brings together a gang—Major Courtney, Harry Robinson, One-Round Lawson, and Louis Harvey—and they begin plotting the heist. They use the house as a staging ground to coordinate their moves. Their plan hinges on confidence, secrecy, and a convincing disguise.

To maintain the deceptive cover of a music group, the criminals carry instruments and play records of Boccherini and Haydn during their sessions. The rehearsals double as planning meetings, allowing them access and time without arousing suspicion. The ruse is meant to lull Mrs. Wilberforce into a sense of normalcy.

The criminals execute the plan, pulling off the security-van robbery at the nearby railway station. The operation appears successful as they secure the loot and prepare to leave. The robbery is framed by their inside access created through the house's cover as a rehearsal space.

Marcus and the gang trick Mrs. Wilberforce into going to the railway station to retrieve what she believes is the money from the heist. They count on her naivete to remove the disguise from the crime. She unwittingly becomes the link through which the loot is brought back into the criminals' reach.

The gang departs the house with the loot, but One-Round’s cello case full of banknotes gets trapped in the front door. When he finally frees it, banknotes spill forth and are visible to Mrs. Wilberforce. This accidental reveal confirms to her that something is seriously wrong.

A visiting friend informs Mrs. Wilberforce that a robbery has taken place nearby. The realization shatters her illusion of harmless tenants and makes her wary of the people she’s hosted. She begins to understand that the group’s activities are dangerous.

The gang tries to reassure Mrs. Wilberforce and cabin her into thinking she’ll be treated as an innocent bystander. They pressure her to stay quiet, arguing that the theft is victimless and insured. The atmosphere grows tense as the threat of turning her into an accomplice looms.

To avoid direct confrontation, the criminals draw lots using matchsticks to decide who will kill Mrs. Wilberforce. The Major loses, but his intention to escape with the money leads to the next wave of chaos. The plan to murder spirals out of control.

In a rapid, chaotic downturn, the criminals begin killing one another. Major Courtney falls from the roof while being chased by Louis. Harry is killed by One-Round, and One-Round is killed by Louis as the mob’s trust collapses.

Louis Harvey is lured to a ladder by the bridge overlooking the railway and is dislodged to fall into a passing railway wagon after a final shot from Louis. Marcus survives the moment but is then struck on the head by a changing railway signal and disappears into another wagon. The gruesome chain of events leaves the scene littered with bodies.

Mrs. Wilberforce goes to the police, but they do not believe her account; they humor her and tell her to keep the money. She returns home puzzled and defeated, yet morally unsettled. On her way, she slips a single large-denomination banknote to a perplexed starving artist.