The League of Gentlemen

The League of Gentlemen

Year: 1960

Runtime: 116 mins

Language: English

Director: Basil Dearden

CrimeComedyCrime

Involuntarily‑retired Colonel Hyde assembles seven disgruntled ex‑servicemen, each burdened with hidden secrets, financial woes, and specialist training, for a covert operation. Under Hyde’s strict military discipline and his deputy Race’s supervision, they plan a bank robbery, though civilian complications threaten their scheme.

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Timeline & Setting – The League of Gentlemen (1960)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The League of Gentlemen (1960). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

London, England; Dorset, England

The action centers on London locations—the townhouse of Hyde, the bank near St Paul’s, and the Café Royal where the lunch gathers the ex-officers. Planning also unfolds in a warehouse and a Dorset army training camp used for weapon procurement. The chase shifts from the capital to a country setting before ending with a city-wide police response that ties the robbery to Hyde.

🏙️ London 🗺️ England

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

Main Characters – The League of Gentlemen (1960)

Meet the key characters of The League of Gentlemen (1960), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Hyde (Jack Hawkins)

A retired, ruthlessly disciplined mastermind who weaponizes military precision to recruit and wield a gang of disgraced ex-officers. His grievance over a 25-year career ending in redundancy drives him to plan a highly organized bank robbery for a life-changing payout. He destroys the final plans on the eve of the job, then commands the operation with cold efficiency before facing capture.

🧠 Mastermind 🪖 Veteran

Lexy (Richard Attenborough)

Hyde’s trusted lieutenant who masterminds logistics and infiltration. He helps coordinate the bank raid with a practical, no-nonsense mindset and earns the trust of the group through steady planning and execution. He balances risk with the crew’s disciplined approach.

🎯 Planner 🧭 Leader

Race (Nigel Patrick)

A key logistics man who steers the illicit operation’s practical side, including the raid on a Dorset camp and the later attempt to escape. He serves as a conduit between Hyde and the others, and his actions are pivotal in the moment of crisis when the plan unravels.

🧭 Planner 🎯 Executor

Mycroft (Roger Livesey)

One of the ex-officers recruited for the plan, bringing a cool, calculating intellect to the group. He helps map out the robbery and anticipate complications, contributing to the gang’s methodical, almost academic approach to crime.

🧠 Intellectual 🧭 Strategist

Stevens (Kieron Moore)

A steady, reliable member of the gang who executes tasks with quiet competence. He reinforces the group’s discipline and contributes to the careful, step-by-step nature of the plan.

🧭 Loyal 🧰 Hands-on

Porthill (Bryan Forbes)

Another ex-officer drawn into Hyde’s scheme; he participates in the orchestrated crime with a focus on practical execution. He helps ensure the operation runs along the pre-planned lines.

🧭 Strategist 🧰 Technician

Bunny Warren (Robert Coote)

Hyde’s former military commander who arrives during the operation, reminiscing about the old days. His presence underscores the gang’s nostalgia for the past and the fragile loyalties that bind the group.

🧭 Old-guard 🧔 Veteran

Weaver (Norman Bird)

A seasoned member who aids in surveillance and execution, contributing to the gang’s coordinated, professional approach to crime. His role helps maintain the unit’s cohesion under pressure.

🧰 Field agent 🧠 Calculated

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

Major Themes – The League of Gentlemen (1960)

Explore the central themes of The League of Gentlemen (1960), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💰 Greed

A surviving colonel's grudge against being made redundant sparks a meticulously planned bank heist. The promise of £100,000 shares stirs ambition in each ex-officer, turning skill into currency. The plan unfolds with surgical precision, showing how greed can hijack loyalty and discipline.

🧭 Discipline

Hyde builds a military-style operation inside his home, enforcing duties and fines as if running a unit. The crew’s regimentation—training, surveillance, and rehearsals—gives the theft its ruthless efficiency. Yet this rigid structure also magnifies personal fault lines when things go wrong.

🕵️ Consequences

The heist relies on misdirection, disguises, and a rigid chain of command, but a small external clue—the car registration numbers—undermines the plan. Police scrutiny and a rapid chase link Hyde to the crime, turning triumph into exposure. One by one, the gang members are captured, ending the conspiracy.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

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Methodical Heist Movies Like The League of Gentlemen

Precise criminal schemes that are undone by unforeseen human error or bad luck.If you enjoyed the detailed planning and military discipline of The League of Gentlemen, explore these movies about sophisticated heists that go awry. These films feature clever criminal masterminds, intricate plots, and the cerebral tension of watching a perfect plan slowly unravel, often ending in frustration or sadness.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread follow a reliable pattern: the assembly of a team, the meticulous planning of a crime, and the tense execution phase. The central conflict arises not from external forces alone, but from the inherent fragility of any plan when confronted with the unpredictability of human nature and chance, leading to a downfall that feels both inevitable and frustrating.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here because they share a focus on the intellectual challenge of a heist, a neutral or procedural tone that emphasizes mechanics over morality, and a narrative arc that builds towards a collapse. They deliver a specific mix of satisfaction from the planning and tension from the impending failure.

Movies About Disgraced Veterans Like The League of Gentlemen

Former experts, down on their luck, use their old skills for one final, desperate gamble.Fans of The League of Gentlemen will appreciate these films about disgruntled ex-servicemen and professionals who plan a final heist. These stories explore themes of lost honor, financial desperation, and the clash between military discipline and civilian chaos, often ending on a note of melancholic failure.

disgracedprofessionalfrustratedmelancholicdisciplinedredemptiondesperatemethodical

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows characters haunted by past glories and present failures. Their specialized training makes them uniquely capable of executing a complex plan, but their outsider status and emotional baggage create the complications that threaten their success. The journey is as much about reclaiming a sense of purpose as it is about the financial score, often ending with their ambitions crushed.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by a shared character archetype: the skilled but disillusioned professional. They create a specific mood blending discipline with desperation, and a tone that is often wry or neutral, observing the tragicomic spectacle of highly organized people attempting to navigate the messy civilian world.

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The League of Gentlemen Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The League of Gentlemen, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The League of Gentlemen Summary

The League of Gentlemen Timeline

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The League of Gentlemen Timeline

The League of Gentlemen Spoiler-Free Summary

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The League of Gentlemen Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The League of Gentlemen

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