In The Great Train Robbery (1978), Michael Crichton directed the adaptation of his novel.
The film, also known as The First Great Train Robbery, is set in Victorian England and follows a conspiracy to steal a shipment of gold being transported by train. Crichton wrote the screenplay from his own 1975 novel, making the production both a literary adaptation and a film he directed himself.
Sean Connery plays Edward Pierce, the organizer of the scheme, while Donald Sutherland plays Robert Agar, a skilled associate. Lesley-Anne Down appears as Miriam, another participant in the elaborate operation. The story emphasizes planning, forged access, and the physical security surrounding the gold.
This movie is distinct from The Great Train Robbery, the 1903 silent Western directed by Edwin S. Porter. The shared title can cause confusion, but the later film is a Victorian-period caper based on Crichton's book, not a remake of the short 1903 film.