As a history buff I do love it when historical films focus on important details of history. Little moments that can easily be picked up on if you know what they are. And for the most part Buster does this very well, The first half of the film establishes who Ronald "Buster" Edwards was, and his part in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Buster (Phil Collins) starts of nothing more than a small time crook, thieving to provide for his wife June (Julie Walters) and young daughter. Not even being able to pay rent, Buster takes up with ambitious criminal mastermind Bruce Reynolds (Larry Lamb). Alongside other notable south London crooks, such as Ronnie Biggs, Gordon Goody, Charlie Wilson, Reynolds hatches a plot to rob £1,000,000 from a Royal Mail postal train after the summer bank holiday. The robbery itself is portrayed very early on, and skips over much of the planning of the robbery. However it is a near perfect representation of how the great train robbery happened. The bulk of the film deals with the events after the robbery. As Buster and the rest of the crew are all now wanted men, after their base Leatherslade farm was uncovered by police. Despite having paid a man to burn the farm down.
Buster and his friends now must go on the run, each man with a share of £150,000. Buster and June are forced to constantly relocate to evade the law. Eventually they join Bruce in exile in Mexico. Where they are free to spend their money as they wish. But this doesn't bring joy to June. Sick of Mexico she takes her daughter back with her to England, without Buster. And by the End Buster must choose freedom or family.
Buster and his friends now must go on the run, each man with a share of £150,000. Buster and June are forced to constantly relocate to evade the law. Eventually they join Bruce in exile in Mexico. Where they are free to spend their money as they wish. But this doesn't bring joy to June. Sick of Mexico she takes her daughter back with her to England, without Buster. And by the End Buster must choose freedom or family.