'The Bank Job' film...

[max_tranmere]

I watched this tonight, it stars Jason Stratham and Saffron Burrows and is about a bank raid in Baker Street, London, which was apparently organised by MI5. There were some 'compromising photos' of a senior Royal said to be held in a private security box in the bank and the person whose box it was was basically untouchable as he had this Ace to play anytime he needed to - and the authorities knew it. They were just waiting for him to blackmail the Establishment. The man in question, Michael DeFreitas, was a pimp and gangster who was friends with John Lennon, and these photos had to be got back.

Unlike more professional bank robbers, who would use code words between themselves and their look-out man who is stationed on a roof across the street, these bozo's spoke quite openly on their radio's about what they were doing and a ham radio operator, listen in to radio activity in his bedroom, picked it all up, recorded it, and called the Police.

It was a very interesting story. Police corruption was exposed as well because a Soho pornking, who kept a ledger with all the names of all the bent Police officers he was paying-off, had his ledger book in another security box in the bank, and the robbers nicked that aswell.

It's a true story and happened in 1971. Has anyone else seen this and what did you think of the film? Anyone on here remember the thing when it happened? (you'll have to be a bit older than me if you do, lol).

[one eyed jack]

Ive seen it Max and absolutley loved the film. it was well done. Jason Statham out of his comfort zone kicking arse and playing someone more vulnerable. T.Rex main title, a bit of violence and torture a bank heist...Dude whats not to like!

Saw it on the cinema and own it on dvd. This is a classic Brit film as far as Im concerned.

I had no idea it was a true story but if you dig around on the internet you wil find info on it. Fascinating.

There is someone else up on here that could tell an equally compelling story about the 70's, police corruption and porn but I'm not at liberty to say

[Jonone]

[Jonesy]

Brilliant film, great sound track and great script. Even the character 'Terry Leather' (Statham) is mentioned in series 2 of Auf Weidersehen, Pet when the lads are in Spain and meet an 'old time villain' from England called Terry Leather, so wraps it up nicely as the ending of the film

[welkram]

I remember the film coming out but never saw it, was not aware it was loosley based on an actual bank job.

I was a very young teen in the early 60's when Michael de Freitas was in prominence in London, calling him a pimp and gangster takes him onto a plane much higher than he ever deserved, at that time he was no more than a bully boy, thug and arsonist who worked for Peter Rachman, who in turn was perhaps the most evil and currupt landlord in London. Talk about police corruption, when Rachman died and the cops lost a good earner that was perhaps when they looked to Soho for easier pickings.

I was astounded years later when de Freitas turned up in the Jamaica and was hailed as a black (power) leader, why call yourself that when you live in a country run by blacks (no racism intended) unless you just use the name, as he did, to hide criminal activities. But what goes around comes around - and in the end he totally got what he deserved.

[one eyed jack]

Wasnt that whole black power movement thing the done thing to be in at the tail end of matin Luther King and Malcolm X and Bobby Seales assassinations.

Racism was at its height during the 60's and 70's and being part of something like The Black Panthers sent out a signal that blacks were in force and quick to kick off if confronted with racism and would have probably lent some fear to a man using it for psychology and blind respect for those sharing the same concern at the time.

He probably felt that stealing from the white man and selling him prostitution and drugs was politcally empowering as well.

[one eyed jack]

Another brilliant film was Gangster No1...with Malcolm McDowell. i dont hear that getting much mention but I thought that was brilliant too

[max_tranmere]

I knew someone who lived in a flat in Notting Hill that used to be owned by Peter Rachman. This was in the 1990's, therefore years after Rachman had owned it but it was incredible what this guy told me: he said that most of that region of Notting Hill used to be owned by Rachman - basically the area that is Powys Square and numerous sideroads around it. Rachman owned a huge number of properties, a portfolio that would be worth literally hundreds of millions of pounds now. Even though he was a very nasty landlord he was, ironically, praised by many West Indian immigrants who moved into that area years ago because he was the only person who would let to them.

Regarding Michael DeFrateus (if I've spelt his name correctly), he was apparently jailed for 2 years for saying "if you see a white man with a black woman, kill him". I think he said it on a TV show. Bizarelly he saw no problem with the thing the other way around. He was black and had a white girlfriend, so I assume he saw that as ok. Weird. He was hanged in Trinidad for murdering her, her name was Gail Benson and she was the daughter of a prominent British Member of Parliament.

I saw Darcus Howe, the TV presenter, being interviewed some years ago (he emigrated here from the West Indies in the 1950's) and he more or less defended DeFrateus over his comments that got him jailed, about how you should kill a white man if you see him with a black woman. Darcus Howe said: "He was part of the confusion of his time". I thought Howe's remark was very strange. Darcus Howe used to work as a waiter at the famous Mangrove Cafe in All Saints Road in Notting Hill when he first arrived from the West Indies and he knew Michael DeFratues. The Mangrove is long gone now, but it always features in books about Notting Hill.