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Movies / On DVD / Topkapi
Topkapi

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Topkapi (1964)

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83 %
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Reviews Counted: 18

Fresh: 15

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 7.4/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Five years after directing the heist classic RIFIFI, Jules Dassin returns to robbery with TOPKAPI. Again there is a long and daring break-in, as his heroes attempt to steal the priceless Emerald Dagger from the Topkapi Palace Museum in... Five years after directing the heist classic RIFIFI, Jules Dassin returns to robbery with TOPKAPI. Again there is a long and daring break-in, as his heroes attempt to steal the priceless Emerald Dagger from the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, but in contrast to the bleak RIFIFI, the mood in TOPKAPI is one of comedy. Dassin focuses on the bumbling Arthur Simpson (Peter Ustinov), who barely makes a living conning tourists. Arthur thinks he's struck it rich when Elizabeth Lipp (Melina Mercouri) and her lover Walter (Maximilian Schell) respond to his pitch--not realizing they picked him. They persuade Arthur to drive across the Greek-Turkish border. When the Turkish police find arms in the car, they believe they have uncovered a terrorist plot. They only release Arthur after he agrees to spy for them. Elizabeth and Walter plan their robbery, while Arthur is drawn ever further out of his depth, as he looks for evidence of terrorism. Mercouri and Schell handle the planning; Ustinov, Robert Morley as the eccentric Cedric, and Akim Tamiroff as a dipsomaniac cook, handle the comedy; the Turkish scenery is beautiful, and Manos Hadjidakis contributes a sprightly score--the result is a light and airy comedy. [More]

Starring: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley

Starring: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff, Jess Hahn, Titos Vandis, Joseph Dassin

Director: Jules Dassin

Director: Jules Dassin
Producer: Jules Dassin
Screenwriter: Monja Danischewsky
Composer: Manos Hadjidakis

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Topkapi

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1 - 18 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image

It's a far cry from his classic American thrillers or his brilliant British noir, Night and the City.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Dassin's film is a fun but frothy follow-up to Riffi which remains the finest heist film ever made.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It is the performances, however, that have enabled the movie to retain its vitality.

Full Review Source: DVDLaser | comment Comment
03/03/08
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser
Ratings Image

The story never quite adds up, but with help from Ustinov and Robert Morley, Dassin conjures up a superior light entertainment.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/03/08
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Ratings Image

[A] enjoyable, fast-moving tale of a caper pulled by some of the most delightful characters ever assembled on one screen.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/03/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Ustinov has probably the meatiest part in the film and one that allows him to use many of the unsubtleties in dominating scenes he has at his command.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/03/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Stylish lighthearted comical heist drama of stealing a priceless diamond and emerald-studded dagger from Turkey's world-famous Topkapi Museum.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/01/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

Classic heist film with breezy direction and top cast.

comment Comment
02/18/06
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
06/14/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

This is proof that a popcorn movie can still be made as intelligently and as skillfully as any 'classier' project.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/08/05
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
04/03/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Ratings Image

A minor classic of the genre.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/23/04
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

If you like heists and holidays, it's almost foolproof entertainment.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
12/04/03
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Ratings Image

One of the very best heist films ever made, Topkapi provides the template for the many lighthearted capers that came later

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/01/03
Austin Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
12/02/02
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
09/10/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Ratings Image

It’s fun, light hearted, smart and wildly entertaining.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/29/02
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide
1 - 18 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Topkapi

April 01, 2008: Jules Dassin: 1911-2008
Jules Dassin, the director of films such as Night and the City, Topkapi, and Never On Sunday, has passed away of unspecified causes at the age of 96. More...

November 12, 2007: Paul Verhoeven Directing Thomas Crown Affair Sequel?
Two years after first being announced, the sequel to 1999's Pierce Brosnan-led remake of The Thomas Crown Affair is still in development -- but if you've been impatient to see... More...

September 08, 2005: Brosnan to Participate in "The Topkapi Affair"
FilmFocus' Joe Utichi brings some news from former Bond-sman Pierce Brosnan, and it looks like the class-act actor will be bringing Eric Ambler's novel "Light of Day"... More...

See More Topics...

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