Jackpot

Poor old Lenny (Michael Ripper). All he craves is a quiet life, selling coffee, which nobody ever drinks and ham sandwiches, without the ham. His world is turned upside down when ex-con and deportee George Mikell, no, MIKELL returns illegally, aboard a merchant ship, upon which a lame brained effort to cover the vessel's original name has been made.

Lock expert Ripper is coerced into breaking into Mikell's wife's flat, followed by a safe cracking job, by way of retribution on corrupt club owner, Eddie Byrne, for non-payment of Mikell's cut from a previous job. The prolonged robbery scene, intended no doubt to be nail-bitingly suspenseful is just ponderous and tedious. Even the decent jazz score is ruined by Ripper's relentless drilling!

The police, led by William Hartnell with his crack team, conduct their investigations with Borisesque behind the curve efficiency.

The script is pretty much what you would expect from a twelve year old, invited to write a gangster story. Hamstrung by stilted, wooden performances and a lack of any real substance or subplot.

Focusing on the positives: The delightful, underrated Betty McDowall salvages some artistic integrity as Mikell's mistreated wife, who has found a new love. In addition, as the action moves to the Arsenal stadium on match day, there is fleeting library footage of a game. The solitary goal, however, when it arrives, a scrappy over-the-line affair, draws merely shoulder shrugging indifference from the crowd. Oh, come ON! At least entertain us with a 30 yard netbusting screamer, accompanied by an erupting, uproarious ecstatic stadium. The prospect of Mikell attempting his getaway whilst being unceremoniously jostled amongst 20,000 surging, delirious, rattle wielding home fans would have made essential viewing. What a missed opportunity! Maybe the Gunners were always resigned to playing at the Highbury Library.

Billed by the T.V. channel as a 'lost' film, one is compelled to ask: Was it really lost, or did somebody discreetly put it out with the rubbish? One of relatively few films made by Grand National Pictures, it's hard to imagine many punters racing to back this nag. However, at 71 minutes, this passingly noirish potboiler is fairly brisk in making its point. In the event of the patience shredding mechanism kicking in, then simply fast forward to enjoy the absurdly abrupt ending.

A known fellon and thief (George Mikell) returns to London and demands money from a former associate (Eddie Byrne) who's the big shot owner of the 'The Jackpot Club', but refuses to hand him his owed money. He convinces another former associate (Michael Ripper), the owner of a worker's caff and now gone straight to help him rob the the club's safe.

A little seen low budget British crime film that holds the viewer's attention throughout and includes a finale shot at the Arsenal footaball stadium Gillespie Road grounds.

William Hartnell who would go onto play the future first Doctor Who three years after this film has a strong part as the police inspector. The film was recently restored and is better than the previously available print, but there are clearly several frames missing from the film.

George Mikell spent three years in prison and was then deported for a job they never got his associates on. Now he's back in London to collect wife Betty McDowall and his money from the job from Eddie Byrne. Both tell him no, so he collects retired safecracker Michael Ripper and breaks into Byrne's safe. On the way out, Mikell shoots and kills a constable. Now he's got the police after him in the person of William Hartnell.

It's a well-scripted, dirty little crime drama from Montgomery Tully. It's also done so cheaply that it might have been shot for television: lighting, sets, even the way the fights are staged are identical to TV production. The sound is considerably better, but that's almost certainly a matter of the recording medium. Still, for 67-minute B, it moves along at a good clip.

Saw this for the first time today (I'm 66+) and it was so refreshing to see some enjoyable TV! This film shows how crime films used to be made. Quality actors, professional directing, excellent storyline and not a swear word or single incident of sordid or depraved content so typical of Hollywooden 'moovees'. Unfortunately, the kind of story this tells is as common today as it was when the film was made, so this film has the added bonus of a timeless content. If you want an enjoyable film that will keep you glued to your sofa, give this a go. It's up there with 'Pool of London' and 'The Blue Lamp'.

William Hartnelll always made interesting parts in interesting films, so that you could rely on his name to warrant a reward. This is a typical example, although you have to wait for his appearance, in a role out of the ordinary for him, for he is the criminal inspector. The stars are instead the crooks, George Mikell as a rather interesting and fascinating victim of injustice coming for his exoneration, and Eddie Byrne as the real villain, a gangster and leader of mobs who has made a fortune on his rackets, whom George Mikell with a German accent pays a visit to get back what has been stolen from him. Eddie Byrne refuses to cooperate, so there is a conflict, and Mikell robs him of £6000, which Eddie Byrne naturally raises hell by mishandling every person in connection with Mikell, trying to learn where the renegade is. Naturally there is a final settlement between the two, which naturally ends bad for both of them. We never learn what happened to the survivors.

It's an efficient thriller, well written with a top cast all the way, and every supporting part earns some high credits. The music like the drama is hard-boiled and perhaps a little too invasive, and the finale could have been made more efficient. However, as it is, the thriller is efficient enough with many interesting currents, every supporting part being of major importance.