History Film / TheLeagueOfGentlemen

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Co-operative Removals Limited, the cover name Hyde uses for the caper.

* CaperCrew: Lt. Colonel Hyde spent the last few months before his forced retirement going through army files and selecting military men who've been cashiered for various crimes who have the skills he needs. Race (transport), Weaver (explosives), Lexy (radios), Myscroft (quartermaster). Stevens, Porthill and Rutland-Smith (gunmen), with Hyde as Coordinator.

* WhatTheHellHero: Hyde roasts Race for stealing a car in broad daylight and is all set to fine him when he points out that he needs time to service the car to see if there are any problems with it, so he can't wait till nightfall.

* TheSleepless: The night before robbery, Hyde orders everyone to get a good night's sleep. Cut to everyone still awake in their beds the next morning. Race wanders downstairs in his nightgown to find Hyde still dressed sitting behind a desk, as he couldn't get to sleep either. The only person who has a relaxing night is Lexy who slips out to see his girlfriend, only to get busted trying to sneak back into the house by Hyde and Race.

* ChekhovsGun: Shortly before the robbery, Hyde catches a ball thrown by a kid who has a notebook jutting out of his pocket. Then after Hyde leaves a car pulls up and he jots down the license plate. [[spoiler:Turns out he took down the fake license plate of the furniture truck as well, as did the policeman who saw them working on the truck earlier.]]

** The movie opens with Hyde peering out of a manhole cover near the bank he plans to rob. He then climbs out to reveal he's wearing a tuxedo with bow tie, and walks over to his Rolls Royce that's parked nearby, setting up the concept of these 'gentlemen' who are involved in nefarious crime.

** The FakingEngineTrouble trick is used to park a car outside the armory gate. Unfortunately, an Automobile Association motorcyclist just happens to come along and stops to help, just when the others are about to emerge with the stolen weapons.

* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Bunny, who turns up to interrupt the robbers celebration and departure to better climes. Rather than try to get rid of him, Hyde and the others just keep refilling his glass so he'll be too sozzled to remember anything.

* FoulCafeteriaFood: During the inspection Padre demands the cook give him some fried egg to be sampled. Everyone stares as she slowly scrapes off a piece and puts it on a plate. [[{{Troll}} Which Padre then hands to Hyde to eat.]] When Race starts smirking at this, Padre has him sample the soup.

* FoulCafeteriaFood: During the inspection Padre demands the cook give him some fried egg to be sampled. Everyone stares as she slowly scrapes off a piece and puts it on a plate. [[{{Troll}} Which Padre then hands to Hyde to eat.]]

** When the CaperCrew turn up at Hyde's place, they're all wearing suits except for Steven's who's wearing a ConspicuousTrenchcoat, given the [[ValuesDissonance stereotype of homosexuals being perverts hanging around in parks wearing trenchcoats]].

* FoulCafeteriaFood: During the inspection Padre demands the cook give him some fried egg to be sampled. Everyone stares as she slowly saws off a piece and puts it on a plate. [[{{Troll}} Which Padre then hands to Hyde to eat.]]

* ManlyGay/StraightGay: Stevens, who also has some elements of HardGay, given his post-war profession.

* PermissionToSpeakFreely
* ThePerfectCrime: Very nearly. All undone by JustOneLittleMistake: a kid collecting license plate numbers.
* PerpWalk: Hyde decides to face his end with dignity and leaves the house (supporting a soused Bunny) and walks to the paddy wagon, under the watchful gaze of police and soldiers armed with rifles and portable searchlights. When they open up the paddy wagon for him, he finds the rest of his CaperCrew in there already.

* TheScrounger: Major Race.

* ChekhovsGun: Shortly before the robbery, Hyde catches a ball thrown by a kid who has a notebook jutting out of his pocket. Then after Hyde leaves a car pulls up and he jots down the license plate. Turns out he took down the fake license plate of the furniture truck as well.

* HeroicSacrifice: Hyde decides to surrender to the police while Race slips out the back. It's AllForNothing as the police have the house surrounded and have been arresting everyone quietly as they leave, including Race.

* MoodWhiplash: During the post-caper victory celebration, everyone joins in an exuberant rendition of "Soldiers of the Queen" until [[OhCrap Padre suddenly realises that someone is knocking at the door.]] They turn out to be Hyde's former commanding officer-turned neighbour, 'Bunny' Warren, who proceeds to add both [[PluckyComicRelief comedy and tension]] to the proceedings with his MotorMouth ignorance of what's really going on.

* Major Race (Nigel Patrick), a ProfessionalGambler and CardSharp who resigned his commission just in time to escape prosecution for [[FriendInTheBlackMarket running a smuggling ring]]. His IllegalGamblingDen is losing money however.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The previous crimes of the men range from being drunk in charge of bomb disposal (causing the deaths of four soldiers) and executing suspected terrorists without trial, to not paying excessive bar bills and being homosexual ([[ValuesDissonance illegal at the time]]).

** When the CaperCrew turn up at Hyde's place, they're all wearing suits except for Steven's who's wearing a ConspicuousTrenchcoat, given the stereotype of the time of homosexuals being perverts hanging around in parks wearing trenchcoats.

* IronicEcho: While on his SurpriseInspectionRuse, Padre asks the soldiers in the messhall if they have any complaints, and is told, "No sir!" (until a barracks lawyer speaks up). Once they get back into the car and have driven away, Padre asks: "Any complaints?" Impressed with his performance they all chime, "No sir!" [[spoiler:They give the same line after they've all been arrested and thrown into a paddy wagon.]]

* PerpWalk: including TheReveal that they've already caught everyone else.

* StockFootageFailure: As Hyde is showing the movie of the exterior of the bank that they will rob he tells his cohorts, "This is the view of the bank that you will see three weeks from today, gentlemen." Sure enough, during the events just before the actual robbery: As the guard opens the rear door of the armored truck, the same-dressed man with a newspaper in his overcoat pocket walks past and, as the guards put the boxes on the flatbed truck, the same two women in light overcoats walk past.

* WorthIt:
** To maintain discipline, Hyde says he will deduct 100 pounds for minor infractions and 500 for major ones from the offender's cut of the loot. The only person fined is Lexy, who slips out the night before TheCaper to see his girlfriend, only to be busted trying to sneak back into the house by Hyde and Race. When Race asks how much of a fine she's worth, Lexy smirks. "Oh, I'd settle for the full five hundred, sir."
** "Any complaints?" "No, sir!"

* DrivingIntoATruck: Happens during TheCaper to hide the car with the money.

* ChekhovsGun: Shortly before the robbery, Hyde catches a ball thrown by a kid who has a notebook jutting out of his pocket. Then after Hyde leaves a car pulls up and he jots down the license plate. Turns out he took the fake license plate of the furniture truck as well.

* ManlyGay/ StraightGay: Stevens, who also has some elements of HardGay, given his post-war profession.
* MenCantKeepHouse: True of Hyde, who is separated from his wife and lives alone in a mansion, subsisting on ready-made food from cans and rarely cleans up dishes and doesn't keep the place particularly neat.

* MoodWhiplash: During the post-caper victory celebration, everyone joins in an exuberant rendition of "Soldiers of the Queen" until [[OhCrap Padre suddenly realises that someone is knocking at the door.]] Who turns out to be Hyde's former commanding officer-turned neighbour, 'Bunny' Warren, who proceeds to add [[PluckyComicRelief comic tension]] to the proceedings with his MotorMouth ignorance of what's really going on.

** When the CaperCrew turn up at Hyde's place, they're all wearing suits except for Steven's who's wearing a ConspicuousTrenchcoat, a hint at his homosexuality, given the stereotype of them being perverts hanging around in parks wearing trenchcoats.

* AvengersAssemble: The start of the movie shows the other protagonists receiving the novel sent by Hyde, while living their various dead end jobs.

* Major Race (Nigel Patrick), a ProfessionalGambler and CardSharp who resigned his commission just in time to escape prosecution for [[FriendInTheBlackMarket running a smuggling ring]]

* ClothingReflectsPersonality: When the CaperCrew turn up at Hyde's place, they're all wearing suits except for Steven's who's wearing a ConspicuousTrenchcoat, presumably a hint at his homosexuality, given the stereotype of them being perverts hanging around in parks wearing trenchcoats.

A classic British crime comedy, directed by Creator/BasilDearden and released in 1960.