Although the property security industry seems to rank among the dullest in the history of books or cinema, the repertoire of stories revolving around guarded treasure is unexpectedly rich. Treasure troves in film appear frequently, mostly in action films, detective stories or spy stories. To take a bit of a breather from steel, concrete and the delightful crunch of bolts, I have prepared for you some interesting stories in which one or another treasure is an essential element of the plot.
"Goldfinger" (1964)
We start with a classic. "Goldfinger" from 1964, directed by Guy Hamilton, is one of the first James Bond films, played by Sean Connery (who needs no introduction), partnered by Honor Blackman, while the main "Schwarzcharacter" is played by the German actor Gert Fröbe, amazing in this role – this one is downright monstrously evil in the film, and it is very well ;).
The plot, as it is in Bond films, is quite simple, and typical of older stories based closely on Ian Fleming's prose. Here is a universally respected, if somewhat mysterious and eccentric millionaire possessed of a fetish and a lust for gold, plotting a conspiracy. Unusually, Goldfinger's goal is neither world power nor the Soviet Union's victory in the Cold War, but rather the gold stored at Fort Knox. Bond's task will be to prevent him from stealing it.
The aforementioned Fort Knox is a US Army base in the state of Kentucky. In 1936, the United States Bullion Depository, a vault containing roughly 4,500 tonnes of pure gold bars, was built on its grounds. We also write about it in an article entitled. "5 interesting facts about safes".
"Die Hard 3" (1995)
If Fort Knox sounds impressive, it is worth knowing that it is not the largest gold depository in the world. That title goes to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, whose underground vault holds roughly 7,000 tonnes of pure gold. That's again – seven thousand tonnes of gold :).
The scale of the treasure stored in the Reserve Bank is summed up by the main evil character in the third instalment of the 1995 series "Die Hard", directed by John McTiernan and starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, saying "Fort Knox is for tourists". It features a heavily demonic but gorgeous Jeremy Irons.
The plan for the heist is a fine one. In order to divert the attention of the services from the Wall Street area, Simon Gruber (the hoodlum in question) plants a couple of bombs in New York and starts playing a game with the police, and since his brother (also a great role by Alan Rickman) was thrown off a roof by the indestructible Lieutenant John McClane in part one of the series, it falls to him to foil the heist.
Cool, entertaining 90s cinema that you can return to again and again. Lots of shooting, explosions, chases through city streets.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (2013)
In case by some miracle someone is not familiar with the plot, here it is in a nutshell: there is a hobbit named Bilbo, who lives a peaceful life in a fairy-tale land. One day he is visited by the wizard Gandalf and a company of twelve dwarves on a mission to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, the former dwarven kingdom, from the clutches of the cruel and greedy dragon Smaug. Together, the company embarks on a distant and adventurous journey.
I chose the second part of Peter Jackson's trilogy, in which the treasures of the Lonely Mountain are devoted a considerable amount of time, as the lead film, and I have to admit that the screen adaptation beautifully captures the enormity of the wealth amassed beneath the Mountain. Literally a sea of gold and valuables, on which, after all, a huge dragon even swims. And above all, the Arch Jewel, the most beautiful diamond, shining with its own brilliance. Or something very similar.
On a technical note, the Lonely Mountain is, of course, closely guarded. The company leader, Thorin the Oak Shield, has a key and a map with directions on where to look for the hole, and I admit from a purely professional point of view, the security is pretty good. Well, the hole will appear with the last moonlight on one of the walls, on a particular day of the year.
Such safeguards are no longer made today... ;-)
"Panic Room" (2002)
While we are on the subject of vaults, it is appropriate to mention an iconic film for the security industry, namely "Panic Room" from 2002, directed by David Fincher. Starring Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and the very young then Kristen Stewart and Jared Leto.
The film tells the story of a burglary in a house containing the eponymous 'panic room' – a room secured on all sides, protected by a solid door and equipped with ventilation and communication systems, food and medicine. In this asylum, the film's main characters are protected from burglars. Good, solid, although intimate action cinema, lots of psychology and a palpable sense of claustrophobic danger on screen.
Installations of this type are not a novelty in the United States; they regularly gain customers especially after 11th September 2001. In Poland, the problem of not only securing property against burglary, but also providing personal, physical security in the event of an attack is also becoming popular and panic rooms, more or less advanced, are being built more and more frequently.
Explore our modular vaults
"Heat" (1995)
Michael Mann's 1995 spectacle does not touch our industry directly, but as it is an outstanding film in many ways, I must :).
The film has two protagonists who, although they spend literally a dozen minutes on screen together, form an iconic duo. The first is Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a professional thief, leader of a thriving group, who collects a prosperous retirement by commissions robbing convoys, banks or other such places. The other is Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a policeman with many years of service and several failed marriages, who is not in the habit of letting go. The character play between this pair is a gem of thriller cinema, and the acting of both outstanding role players is a masterpiece that no one else could afford.
The climactic scene of the film is the bank robbery, followed by perhaps the most famous chase and shootout scene on the streets, very powerful, spectacular and downright painful for the viewer.
"The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone" (2015)
Finally, I have left myself a tidbit that is not a film. October 2015 sees the release of the first story supplement to, in my opinion, the best role-playing game ever, The Witcher 3. "Hearts of Stone" takes us to the north-eastern regions of the world known from the base game, where we have three tasks to complete, commissioned to Geralt by Olgierd, who is afflicted with a curse.
Completing one of the tasks, delivering the House of Maximilian Borsody to Olgierd, requires breaking into the vault at the auction house. Surprisingly for a fantasy world, a quest with the much-talked-about title 'Sesame, open' turns the whole adventure into an almost classic detective story for a while. Geralt recruits a team to help him with the heist, and depending on the player's decisions, getting into the vault will be made possible by a dwarf-pyromancer named Casimir or a cashier named Quinto :-).
Whichever way the player decides, there is no shortage of fun with a sense of humour and fast-paced action.
Treasures, treasures
The list could probably go on for a long time, as it turns out that the motif of treasure and its acquisition or, conversely, protection, is a frequent theme in many stories. Treasure doesn't necessarily mean gold, it could be a magical artefact, a source of ancient power or a deadly weapon, but the common denominator of overcoming security features, bypassing traps or outrunning guards is a never-ending source of excitement and a great inspiration for adventure.
However, in case you want to talk about treasures seriously – give us a call :-).
