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 a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as a contributor to the heist)
and Akim Tamiroff. The script was adapted by Monja Danischewsky from a novel by Eric Ambler. The sets are grand, the suspense enjoyably pitched, and the climax pays homage to the genre with touches reminiscent of Dassin's earlier classic, Rififi (1954). ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
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