''Seven Golden Men'' () is a 1965
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
crime-comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Marco Vicario. A film about a bank heist, it follows a gang of men and one woman. It followed the same story line as ''
Topkapi'', and has a sequel, ''
Seven Golden Men Strike Again''.
Plot
The film revolves around an internationally mixed team of high-profile heisters specializing in gold thefts, led by Albert the Professor and his seductive lover Giorgia. Their target is the
Swiss National Bank
The Swiss National Bank (SNB; ; ; ; ) is the central bank of Switzerland, responsible for the nation's monetary policy and the sole issuer of Swiss franc banknotes. The primary goal of its mandate is to ensure price stability, while taking econ ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, which is hoarding a large amount of
gold bullions in their high-security vault; while Albert directs the operation from his hotel room, Giorgia acts as a decoy and provides information from inside the bank with hidden cameras, a homing device placed inside the vault, and explanations gleamed from the bank's manager. The other six men - Adolf, August, Aldo, Anthony, Alfonso and Alfred - posing as sanitation workers and equipped with a truckload of gadgets, enter the sewer system right beneath the bank. Avoiding the intricate security system, they drill into the vault, right into the underside of the bullion stack, and steal six tons of gold while leaving the outermost layer intact to conceal their heist.
While the plan is perfectly executed, it hits several snags. A radio ham intercepts their transmissions and informs the police, but
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
, who is on the team's trail, dismisses the case after a superficial check in the vault. Giorgia wandering around the hotel suite with insufficient clothing nearly brings the police down on Albert for disorderly conduct, but Giorgia charms the policeman away. In the end, the whole team gets away unscathed. After declaring the whole load a delivery of brass for a foundry in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, they split into two groups, with Albert and Giorgia travelling by train while the others go across the border by car. However, Albert is in no mind to share the spoils, and his six companions are detained for possessing forged passports. But in turn, Albert is betrayed by Giorgia, who has begun an affair with the bank manager and devised a plan to steal all the gold for their own.
However, when Giorgia and her new lover attempt to intercept the cargo, they learn to their horror that it has been transported far quicker than anticipated, and has already been melted down; disappointed, the bank manager leaves Giorgia behind. But Albert has actually tricked them and diverted the gold cargo to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. There he reunites with Giorgia; but their ex-associates, who have been released in the meantime, trail them to the place where Albert has hidden the truck with the gold. The chase ends in front of the
Colosseum
The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...
, where the six intercept the transport; but August accidentally disengages the
handbrakes, causing the truck to roll into the open and crash, spilling the bullions to the feet of a crowd of greedy pedestrians. With their plan ultimately foiled, the Golden Men grudgingly reunite and prepare a new heist on the
Commercial Bank of Italy.
Cast
*
Philippe Leroy
Philippe Marie Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (15 October 1930 – 1 June 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1960 and 2019, and worked extensively in Italian cinema, as well as in his native country.
After an early career as ...
: Albert the Professor, a Brit
*
Rossana Podestà
Rossana Podestà (born Carla Dora Podestà; 20 June 1934 – 10 December 2013) was an Italian actress who worked mainly in Italy from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Biography
Podestà was born in Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli in the Italian colony of Italia ...
: Giorgia
*
Gastone Moschin: Adolf, a German
*
Giampiero Albertini: August, a Portuguese
*
Gabriele Tinti: Aldo, an Italian
*
Dario De Grassi: Anthony, an Irishman
*
Manuel Zarzo
Manuel López Zarza (; 26 April 1932 – 16 or 17 June 2025), better known as Manuel Zarzo (), was a Spanish film actor. He appeared in more than 200 television and film works over his 7-decade long career.
Zarzo made his film debut in ''Day b ...
: Alfonso, a Spaniard
*
Maurice Poli: Alfred, a Frenchman
*
Ennio Balbo
Ennio Balbo (18 April 1922 – 18 June 1989) was an Italian film, television and voice actor.
Biography
Born in Naples, Balbo made his debut on stage immediately after the Second World War alongside Paola Borboni and Lamberto Picasso in Lui ...
: Police Chief
*
Alberto Bonucci
Alberto Bonucci (; 19 May 1918 – 5 April 1969) was an Italian film actor and director. He appeared in 53 films between 1950 and 1967.
Partial filmography
* ''Variety Lights'' (1950) - Night Club Comic
* ''Fugitive in Trieste'' (1951)
* ''Tot ...
: Radio Ham
*
José Suárez: Bank Manager
External links
*
* http://www.mymovies.it/dizionario/recensione.asp?id=22559
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Golden Men
1965 films
1960s Italian-language films
Films directed by Marco Vicario
Films scored by Armando Trovajoli
Italian heist films
Italian crime comedy films
1960s crime comedy films
1960s heist films
1965 comedy films
1960s Italian films
Films set in the Colosseum