Time Bomb

I first saw this movie on July 2, 2019, and I was riveted to my seat from the opening sequence. Director Ted Tetzlaff, working in the UK with Glenn Ford (whose presence was the raison d'etre for the movie as an MGM British production), never lets up the tension from the opening confrontation between a uniformed police constable (John Horsley) and a seeming vagrant (Victor Maddern) in a railway yard. The script and story, by Kem Bennett, interweave several stories that end up interlocking, and watching it the other morning, I had to wonder if Arthur Hailey didn't see this movie on original release, because the interaction of human elements and suspense seem to point the way very much to books such as Airport (and yes, I know that Hailey had lots of inspirations along the way). Glenn Ford's marital difficulties with unhappy wife Anne Vernon are given just the right amount of play, when one takes into account her role in the subsequent plot, and his low-key acting is perfectly balanced by the presence of Maurice Denham as the coolly efficient (but quietly scared-to-death) police official in charge on the ground. And then there are the wonderful little uniquely British touches, such as Herbert C. Walton's performance as Charlie, a man who likes trains. There is only one plot flaw and a slight structural flaw in the run-up to the double-barreled finale, but I won't go into those here, as they're not that serious and talking about them would spoil the movie. This is one that I heartily wish were available as a mechanically manufactured DVD, rather than a Warner Archives DVD-R, because it rates the better treatment.

A terrorist plants a bomb on a train transporting sea mines to Portsmouth. A policeman uncovers the plot but the terrorist gets away. Canadian Royal Engineers bomb disposal Peter Lyncort (Glenn Ford) is recruited. The train is redirected to an isolated line but it turns out to be next to a residential area. The police searches for the bomber while the area is evacuated.

Once the train stops, the kinetic energy of the movie becomes more static. Peter's domestic troubles aren't that compelling. Glenn Ford is still great as the steady lead. This is all about the tension. There is some fine moments of tension but it doesn't get that high. Honestly, the highest intensity comes when the train gets stopped by the railyard master. This is solid B-movie thriller.

An enjoyable British thriller from the 1950s with an excellent supporting cast makes this well worth watching. But was it necessary to get an actor all the way from Hollywood? Glenn Ford always played himself, perhaps there could have been idea to have a more anonymous actor in the lead? The love story between Ford and Anne Vernon is unnecessary and does not add anything to the story.

It's very interesting that the average of (at this writing) 241 votes is 6 out of ten. But there are almost no 6 ratings. People seem to either like it very much or hate it.

I first saw this in a theater in 1953 and I thought it well done, suspenseful and entertaining. Tetzlaff and Ford made me believe in the life or death aspect of the script, and in retrospect the film in black and white added to the atmosphere. I have since seen it once or twice on television and it's now a period piece about things that no longer exist, but the suspense and terrorism themes are as topical as ever; we read about defusing bombs almost every day and we wait for news of the next IED's death toll.

If one looks beyond the period trappings, the fundamental qualities of life, survival and ultimately death are examined and exemplified with some care. Given a suspension of disbelief, this movie can be both entertaining and illuminating. I suspect viewers will continue to either like it very much or dislike it very much. That diversity should make those who've not seen it curious.

When the story begins, a Constable finds a man up to no good a the rail yard. At first, he just assumes it's some hobo riding the rails, but after a scuffle they find detorators where he guy dropped them. Obviously, he was saboaging the munitions train. The problem is that it's a big train and there just isn't a lot of time to find the bomb before it explodes....if there is a bomb.

If happens that Peter (Glenn Ford) is a bomb disposal expert and he's nearby. So the police rush to get him to the train and evacuate the area why he does his work. What's next? See the film.

If you want a film with a lot of tension, this movie is a very good choice. While the plot is pretty simple and you have no idea why the bomber did what he did, the payoff at the end is there...and the film very well made.