The Switch

A breezy quickie in which Conrad Phillips and the always glamorous Zena Marshall make a charming couple as they cross the path of the usual bunch of mean-looking crooks.

This is not very remarkable, and there is nothing special about it. Anthony Steel and Conrad Phillips are on the hunt for smugglers of wristwatches, and that gang of professional crooks are so fanatic about their business that they don't hesitate to murder if anyone impedes their activity. Dermot Walsh is also in that customs team, and they take their job dead seriously, intending to stop that gang at any price. There are no shoot-outs but plenty of fighting by the knuckles, and some really get hurt. Even a lady gets caught up in the desperate racket and actually risks getting her throat cut, but naturally it never goes that far in the pictures, and the one corpse of the film is only shown floating head down in the water. It is exciting but very predictable. You will know exactly what will happen next, and nothing will surprise you. The one character that could have been of some interest is the Frenchman Arnold Diamond, and the one almost funny character is Dawn Beret, but this is neither any laughing matter nor even quite serious.

A typical British supporting feature of its day, with the classy Zena Marshall as the victim of a watch-smuggling racket. With the heroic figures of Anthony Steel, Dermot Walsh, and Conrad 'William Tell' Phillips on the case though, it's clear that the villains don't have much of a chance. Not as complicated as some of the contemporary Edgar Wallace movies but not lacking in some dry humour and very watchable. Steel was no longer a major star by now and Fifties leading lady, at least in 'B' pictures, Susan Shaw, has only a minor role as the Search Officer.

She plays the bit part of a search officer. She became a alcoholic on her way to an early death. Anthony Steel is on his own downward path. Even Jimmy Hanley has a beef camcameocameo. This otherwise a fairly standard if entertaining B feature of the type turned out in their dozens until the end of double bT.ills self their dom.

John Curry gets mixed up with Carolyn Markham, who's targeted by a gang who have smuggled in a stash of watches.

A very enjoyable mystery, it put me in mind of The Edgar Wallace mysteries and The Frances Durbridge shows, it's along the same lines. It's a clever mystery, that moves along at a decent pace, and has several moments of intrigue.

What starts off as a seemingly ordinary crime, car theft, soon turns into something a whole lot more interesting, kidnap, assault, violence and murder.

That Alpine Sunbeam was one exquisite looking car, a time when Great Britain truly did manufacture the most exquisite cars.

I loved the visuals, the cars, the fashions, people and streets, you can't argue with the style of the 1960's.

Quality acting from a very reliable cast, Conrad Phillips, Bill Craddock and the excellent Zena Marshall.

Two amusing moments, Peter Butterworth's scene was very funny, I also chuckled seeing Jerry Desmonde, hard to take him seriously, buy a good actor Northerner.

7/10.