Topkapi

After years of enduring movie lampoons of his 1955 crime-caper classic Rififi, director Jules Dassin topped them all with his own spoof, Topkapi. It's a rather disreputable crew that teams for the elaborate jewel theft masterminded by Maximillian Schell. Sexy Melina Mercouri (Mrs. Dassin) is ...more

In the genre of films about jewel thieves, Topkapi covers all the familiar territory, with a light touch and an infectious enthusiasm that helps surmount the rather predictable plot. Maximilian Schell heads an international gang of criminals targeting the impregnable Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The film is an international (or, more precisely, pan-European) effort, with director Jules Dassin overseeing a cast headed by his wife Melina Mercouri and including Peter Ustinov (who won ...more