The Marked One

THE MARKED ONE represents a very typical early 60's Brit B pic - entertaining enough for its short duration but hardly memorable.

William Lucas plays Don Mason, a tough cookie but underneath it all basically a sound chap; recently released from the clink, he's pursued by some unsavoury ex-associates while trying to hold down a driving job and living in modest digs. When his daughter is threatened, his estranged wife (Zena Marshall) reappears- and that spells the end for whatever cosy arrangement he had with housemate Maisie (Laurie Lee).

Patrick Jordan plays the enigmatic "Insp Mayne" dropping in and out of the narrative, which potters along to an underwhelming conclusion.

Watch out for shots of The Pilot pub in Chiswick - still standing after all these years; fortunately the management will have changed out of all recognition from this film, where Arthur Lovegrove's turn as a creepy, lascivious owner is unsatisfyingly not given its full comeuppance. David Gregory appears briefly- another "forgotten" name from the early 60s B studios.

Veteran director Francis Searle equips himself very well in his fabulously terse crime thriller 'The Marked One' in one of the more actively thrilling, under-documented British crime B-pictures of the 1960s. Handsome, tough-as-hobnail boots Truckie, and ex-lag, trying to go straight Don Mason (William Lucas) has his altogether noble attempts to make a new start for himself brusquely thwarted by a savage back-alley beating by burly thugs unknown, this violent altercation heralds an increasingly frantic series of threatening events, Don's estranged wife Kay (Zena Walker), and innocent young daughter being inexorably drawn into the toxic miasma of the underworld, as, sadly, Don's foolhardy past dalliances with crime are proving increasingly hard to avoid! 'The Marked one' is a consistently engaging, competently-made, brightly acted, flint-edged B-Thriller; a lean, well-sprung, moodily photographed monochrome marvel from the sin-slinging Britain of the 1960s, with the delightfully appealing, blonde-haired actor William Lukas energetically making for a compellingly twin-fisted anti-hero in his desperate, adrenalized rush to make good. This a must-see for 60s B/W crime movie buffs, and also includes a commendably sprightly jazzy score by Bernie Fenton & Frank Patten ta' boot!

William Lucas - never the most versatile of actors - is "Mason", a man who works on the docks and lives in a B&B. It turns out that he has a bit of a criminal past, and when his erstwhile colleagues get the idea that he knows the whereabouts of some valuable bank note plates, they kidnap his daughter who lives with his estranged wife "Kay" (Zena Walker). The thing is, the man has no idea where they are - and with the police "Mayne" (Patrick Jordan) on one side, his wife and the gangsters all also on his back his options are limiting and his desperation growing. Largely devoid of any jeopardy - I always found that thrillers from this period that involved children always lacked any real sense of menace - it's a bit of a ramshackle affair with one too many half-baked scenarios thrown in to try and sustain what is essentially a bit of a non-story. Clearly made on a shoestring budget by the experienced if not exactly innovative Francis Searle, it meanders to a conclusion that is hardly a surprise to anyone. It's adequate afternoon cinema fayre this, but production line stuff.

Criminals believe that ex con Don Mason is in possession of forgery plates, to coerce him into handing them over, they threaten to kidnap his daughter Mary.

I wouldn't say this is the most dynamic looking film I've come across, very much a B movie, it's functional, it's well filmed and well produced, but it's more robust than dynamic.

However when it comes to the film's actual story and the acting, it scores quite highly. It's engaging, a good old fashioned story of blackmail, with the central character Don proving to be an interesting leading man.

A short running time helps the film's pace, it pops along quite nicely.

William Lucas is very strong as Don, very well supported by Zena Walker, she clearly had a busy agent, she was a prolific actress, talented too.

Competently well made, well acted, with a good storyline, it's a good watch.

7/10.

An early production of Tom Blakeley's Planet Pictures (soon to turn its attention to horror and sci-fi).

Superficially this looks like just another British 'B' budget crime potboiler of the period, but it has a sharp storyline worth paying attention to, bolstered by a large supporting cast of fleshed-out characters well acted.