The Switch

Once the mystery about why the same model of car keeps getting stolen is explained this becomes a rather flat and predictable crime story. Fans of b-movies like me will still find it worth watching though, even if only to see some familiar English stars of the 1950's whose careers by now were clearly on the downward slope.

Nope, there's nothing at all original with this short-ish feature, but it's still just about worth watching. You see, freelance model "Carolyn" (Zena Marshall) has gone and got herself mixed up with some luxury watch smugglers and they have had to put her under lock and key when their shipment goes missing and she's thought to be the culprit! Perplexed that she hasn't been in touch, her beau "John" (Conrad Phillips) manages to enlist the help of customs inspector "Craddock" (Anthony Steel) and policeman "Tomlinson" (Dermot Walsh) - and soon they are hot on the trail of the gang. The plot itself is all pretty procedural - as is the acting and writing, but hats off to Peter Butterworth for a fun cameo as a fashion photographer and to Jimmy Handley for brightening things up too - for a frame or two - as our story bubbles along for just over an hour of vintage cars and pretty scenery without the merest hint of menace or jeopardy.

The Switch is a standard B feature but on the surface looks as if it should have so much more - a cast led by the trio of Anthony Steel (by now on the downslope of his briefly stellar career), Dermot Walsh (minus famous badger quiff) and Zena Marshall (fresh from cavorting with then spitting at Sean Connery in 'Dr No') - never really takes off.

Nevertheless, there are some nice touches- a 5 minute cameo from Jerry Desmonde, a 10 second cameo by Jimmy Hanley, a few minutes for Susan Shaw in (sadly), her last role, and a hilariously camp Peter Butterworth for a preciously short appearance, and at least two very nice Sunbeam Alpines (the first Bond car and one of several nods to 007). It also has to be mentioned in dispatches that Arnold Diamond is the least convincing Frenchman since 'Allo Allo'.

She plays the bit part of a search officer. She became a alcoholic on her way to an early death. Anthony Steel is on his own downward path. Even Jimmy Hanley has a beef camcameocameo. This otherwise a fairly standard if entertaining B feature of the type turned out in their dozens until the end of double bT.ills self their dom.

This is not very remarkable, and there is nothing special about it. Anthony Steel and Conrad Phillips are on the hunt for smugglers of wristwatches, and that gang of professional crooks are so fanatic about their business that they don't hesitate to murder if anyone impedes their activity. Dermot Walsh is also in that customs team, and they take their job dead seriously, intending to stop that gang at any price. There are no shoot-outs but plenty of fighting by the knuckles, and some really get hurt. Even a lady gets caught up in the desperate racket and actually risks getting her throat cut, but naturally it never goes that far in the pictures, and the one corpse of the film is only shown floating head down in the water. It is exciting but very predictable. You will know exactly what will happen next, and nothing will surprise you. The one character that could have been of some interest is the Frenchman Arnold Diamond, and the one almost funny character is Dawn Beret, but this is neither any laughing matter nor even quite serious.