One Jump Ahead

It's obvious why this British crime drama wasn't released in America - poor cast, poorer screenplay, and a final reel that is ridiculous on all levels. Even at just an hour of running time, the feature is padded with many scenes that go nowhere.

I was surprised at the favorable reviews in IMDb, given how little happens here. The bland hero played by Paul Carpenter (an unremarkable journeyman actor) gets beaten up twice -that's about all the action that occurs. His juggling two girlfriends is boring, and the low production values resemble a PRC or Monogram picture of a decade earlier.

I've enjoyed several exploitation movies directed by Charles Saunders, including "Womaneater" and "Nudist Paradise" and he made one classic film in 1944: "Tawny Pipit" (which I saw revived at MoMA -very highly recommended), but this one displays zero effort.

Reporter Paul Carpenter is pursuing a story about a corpse found in a bombed-out church, and children scared out of their wits on the site. He's also in a tentative relationship with fellow reporter Diane Hart, but still stuck on a former lover, Jill Adams. She married a rich man, but has a habit of dropping in at his apartment when her husband is out of town.

It's a decent but uninspiring second feature directed by Charles Saunders, shot on a series of cheap sets. By the three-quarters mark, it's clear who did it, although not why. Also some of the dialogue near the end is too formal and overwritten. Still the performances are pretty good. Carpenter would play a reporter with the same name -- albeit in a supporting role -- for the some production company the following year. His career, which included 52 movie credits over 16 years, would with his death in 1964 at age 42.

An innocent boy larking about near a spookily deserted church witnesses a murder, and then finds himself the very next victim of the callous, cold-hearted killer, desperate to cover their bloody tracks! Capable director Charles Saunders's limber, far-from lugubrious crime thriller is a tautly written, sprightly little British-made B-Picture with more than enough shadowy intrigue to blissfully envelop ardent thriller fans within its dark and desperate mysteries, and stalwart, quick-quipping, street savvy journalist Paul Banner (Paul Carpenter ) makes for an engaging, stoically sleuthing hero, one not only after the plaudits gleaned from breaking a major story, but morally driven to bring this nefarious, cold-hearted murderer to book. Charles Saunders's 'One Jump Ahead' remains an exciting yarn that always keeps it's dark secrets one jump ahead of the viewer, and I greatly enjoyed the knock-about scene with the charismatic hard nut Freddie Mills!

While most of the cast of this film are now deceased, Paul Carpenter and Freddie Mills died shortly after the filming of this movie in mysterious circumstances.

Paul Carpenter, who plays Paul Banner in the movie was born in Canada before moving to England where he was a singer and actor. His cause of death was unclear but he was found dead in his dressing room on 12 June 1964 after a rehearsal. He had just recovered from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 42 years old.

Freddie Mills, who plays Bert Tarrant in the movie died of gunshot wounds on 25 July 1965 which authorities deemed to be self inflicted, however many people believed he was murdered. He was 46 years old.

Paul Banner, a "noozeman" of the Daily Comet in England, is an American (he's Canadian, actually) working in England. He happens on a murder that leads him on a complicated trail. He has a ex-love - Jill Adams, who puts on a passable US accent - and she's attempting to get him back - Meanwhile, another lady vies for his affections. Needless to say, he solves the crime. It was only about 1 Hr. 5 minutes and the pace continues along quite well. The photography was quite good and the acting wasn't as bad as many other films. All-in-all, quite acceptable. Paul Carpenter, who plays Banner, was only 33 at the time.(Looks a lot more). He only had 10 more years to live (I'm unsure of the cause of death - maybe someone out there can tell me.) Jill Adams, who plays the blond bombshell, is still alive as at 2002.