Walk a Tightrope

Americans Dan Duryea and Patricia Owens made this truly dreadful little programmer in Britain in 1964 and it's almost certainly the worst thing either of them ever did. The British cast includes one-time James Bond wannabe Terence Cooper and Richard Leech. Cooper's married to Owens. Duryea is the hitman hired by who to kill who and Leech is the friend who witnesses the hit and they are all dreadful; this movie may have the worst acting to be seen in the sixties. The plot itself isn't bad and director Frank Nesbitt makes good use of his London locations, (which is about all you can say in his favour; he only made three films of which this was one), and while it only lasts 69 minutes it feels much, much longer. It is, in fact, the kind of Z-movie that gives Z-movies a bad name. To be avoided at all costs.

An underrated thriller, with a final twist which would not be out of place in an Agatha Christie's whodunit.

The beginning of the movie may puzzle the viewer and may seem confused and off-putting;but further acquaintance generates a tense suspense : the crummy flat where Dan Duryea and his mistress live, "I've got something to do " says he ; then the bizarre atmosphere in the street and the posh people who are in direct contrast to the first characters "Seems I've been being followed" Jason says ,connecting both worlds.

Jason is murdered ; the killer claims that he was paid by his wife Ellen to do away with him; but she denies it and cries over her late man's body ;but is she really the weeping widow? Or is she putting an act? And her attentive escort ,Doug , who stands by her : is he her accomplice? "Now, you're alone ,and so is she" says the cop. Or ,unbeknown to her, did he want to get rid of his partner who works with him as an architect?

Patricia Owens shines in this Christiesque riddle.

If the makers had known what they were about, they'd have had Dan Duryea sit in a chair and read the script to camera. Every time they shift to the stiff British players or the obvious studio settings, attention drops.

This one is no worse than the run quota filling first half thrillers that were being poured out of British studios at the time though it has the same glum view of human nature and unconvincing intonations. These were, despite the protestations of those who saw a living out of them, made by people who'd rather do something else, for theaters who'd rather show something else and played to audiences who considered coming in at interval to just see the big picture.

Apart from Duryea, WALK A TIGHTROPE has Pat Owens memorable for her lead in LAW & JAKE WADE and unforgettable in her number in HELL TO ETERNITY and is filmed by the cameraman of DRIFTERS. The makers' attempts to induce style, in material like the sustained shot of Owens with voices over, fail miserably. Details like the London cab are jammed in to catch a U.S. audience. The first time director does his best.

Five years earlier Patricia Owens was found next to the corpse of her husband in 'The Fly'. The law are called in again when she suffers a similar misfortune in this enjoyable potboiler shot on attractive early sixties London locations with an atmospheric piano score by Buxton Orr.

I was watching out for twists along the way, and found the final revelation when it eventually came highly satisfying.

Ignore the bad reviews, most of which seem to be written by people who just don't like grim B&W thrillers from 1960s England. This is, in fact, a briskly paced but gripping British film noir with an amazing final scene twist that forces you to see the whole film from a different perspective. With strong performances from the great Dan Duryea and Patricia Owens, the film explores the class and gender biases of the early 1960s British judicial system, as well as telling a great story with many twists and turns. Also of great interest is the fact that much of the film was shot on location in and around Strand on the Green and Isleworth in south west London. I don't know if the white pub is still there, but if so I would love to visit it. I first saw this gem of a film on Talking Pictures TV, but I only caught the second half so missed much of the narrative detail. A couple of years later I finally managed to track it down and was delighted to discover it is still available on DVD.