The Rivals

Barry Lineham is wearing a 'syrup' which looks like a sleeping polecat at times

The cars are wonderful period models, and Erica Rogers is superb

An excellent second feature, with a well assembled cast.

Most of the movies in the Edgar Wallace collection are quite slow and boring but this is a little gem and I liked it when I first saw it as a 17 year old kid back in 1983 when Channel 4 in the UK uses to show them late at night.

A couple of cars thieves disrupt a kidnapping scheme by stealing a car containing the ransom money. They are then targeted by both the kidnapers and the Swedish millionaire (Jack Gwilim) whose daughter's life is a stake.

Quite a suspenseful tale with plenty of twist in the plot. The villains are quite a menacing lot here, and the opportunists who stumble on the ransom note are quite smart. It's well-acted, and there's nary a dull moment - the stark black and white photography adds to the tension. The thriller ends with a gunshot and the police arriving. It ends satisfactory. Erica Rogers does well as the girlfriend of the car thief.