Agrega una trama en tu idiomaThree men attempt a prison break, but their plan derails when their boat falters near an island, where the caretaker recognizes the convict. A hostage situation erupts, leading to a tense st... Leer todoThree men attempt a prison break, but their plan derails when their boat falters near an island, where the caretaker recognizes the convict. A hostage situation erupts, leading to a tense standoff with authorities.Three men attempt a prison break, but their plan derails when their boat falters near an island, where the caretaker recognizes the convict. A hostage situation erupts, leading to a tense standoff with authorities.
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
- Nominada a1 premio BAFTA
- 2 nominaciones en total
- Luke
- (as Carlo Justini)
- Police Commissioner
- (as Kenneth Warren)
- Sergeant Drake
- (as Derek Barnes)
- Naval Captain
- (as Ewan Macduff)
- Constable
- (as Fred Abbott)
- Attorney General
- (sin créditos)
Opiniones destacadas
An interesting enough hostage drama. The initial setup is well done, with the ambulance and hospital scenes being particularly exciting. The climax of the film is also quite exciting.
However, the middle section, the back-and-forth between the gang and the police, is a bit of a drag at times. The lack of character engagement here is quite telling as, while you're initially made to think that the felon was wrongfully convicted and is in the right, his actions throughout the film are hardly endearing. The police largely act quite professionally (with one glaring exception) so are not the villains of the piece. Still, it's hard to pick a side, especially as there are some good elements within the gang.
One major positive is the views, as we get some great shots of Sydney Harbour (pre-Opera House), including of the Harbour Bridge and from the Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour views are, for me, the highlights of the film.
The Australian accents for instance, as performed by the British cast members are spot on, with American import, Aldo Ray, being the exception to the rule. He clearly plays an Australian character (not American as other reviewers allege) and yes, there's never any explanation, as to why he has a different accent from his brother, who when the film starts, has apparently master-minded his escape from a train (which we never see) with the aid of 2 other gang members.
Though critically regarded at the time, TSOP was never a commercial success, perhaps explaining why it has been so forgotten, also unfortunately heralding the arguably premature end of Watt's movie career. However in recent times through the influence of figures such as Quentin Tarantino, it has undergone a further critical re-appraisal, which serves to highlight many positive aspects of this much under-rated film.
One can easily see why Tarantino's interest was piqued. Twists abound from the start, with these gentlemanly crooks, being forced to divert from their escape plans and take an injured man to hospital, in a prologue which is both humorous and suspenseful.
The gang quickly gain our sympathies, when we soon realise all they are intent on, even whilst relatively gently taking hostages, is escape. Contrasting with this are their police pursuers, who are shown to be at the very least, extremely hard-nosed in their intent and seemingly not all that concerned about the hostages' welfare. It all makes for some clever reversals of your typical crime caper tropes.
Again I take issue with some of the other reviewers, when stating that the narrative plays out in a generally realistic, believable fashion. There is a Fort Dennison (Pinchgut) in the middle of Sydney Harbour, which may well have seen daily tourist tours of the facilities. It's not far-fetched to think a workable cannon existed there since the Korean War and gang members may also have had naval service during World War 2. It all adds up, including leader Matt's gradual mental disintegration.
Watt makes great use of iconic landmarks such as The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the unbuilt Sydney Opera House even gets a nascent, indirect mention via the medium of early Australian television and yes, there was a TCN Ch 9 in Sydney at the time.
The Siege of Pinchgut, whilst no classic, is indisputably an unexpected surprise from 60 years ago and I can well understand it being restored and archived by the The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaCarlo Giustini was dubbed by the distinctive voice of Robert Rietty.
- ErroresWhen Aldo Ray gets shot with the machine gun, there are no bullet wounds on his body. He just grabs his stomach and falls.
- Citas
Superintendent Hanna: You know as well as I do that it's suicide to underestimate a man when he's desperate.
- ConexionesFeatured in First on the Last (2020)
Selecciones populares
Detalles
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 40 minutos
- Color
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.66 : 1