Rendez-vous avec le crime

Small-time hood Leo Martin (William Hartnell), fingered by the coppers when his colleagues abandoned him after a botched smash-and-grab, swears revenge when he gets out of the joint. I must admit that I watched this British crime-meller because it starred Hartnell, the 'First Doctor' in the Dr. Who canon, but he is pretty good in a stiff way as the vengeful, amoral con (other than 'gangster honour', his character doesn't have many redeeming qualities). The story is pretty bleak, with the criminal life coming across as seedy and unpleasant rather than dangerous but slightly glamorous, as is common in many American films. Joyce Howard is a standout as Carol, a 'taxi dancer' working for 6p/dance at a sleazy nightclub, who initially befriends Leo and believes his protestations of innocence and good intentions, as are Herbert Lom as the crime boss and Alan Wheatley as his mincing, effete minion. Also worth mentioning is Ivor Barnard as a diminutive but menacing hitman. The melodrama is laid on a bit thick, especially in the first 10 minutes, and film is choppy at times, suffering from poor editing either in the initial production or afterwards when dealing with the censors (an abrupt cut from a pivotal 'torture' scene suggests the latter). The buildup to the climax is good but the ending is a bit flat. All in all, good but not great. Anyone wanting to see a pre-Who Hartnell play a hardcase would be better off watching 'Brighton Rock' (1948), in which he plays Dallow, the second-in-command to psychotic gangster 'Pinkie' Brown (David Attenborough).

For Dr. Who fans, this film would be an interesting thing to see. While William Hartnell (the first Doctor) made quite a few movies, he didn't star in all that many...and here he is the star.

The film begins with Leo (Hartnell) doing a smash and grab job at a jewelry store. It goes horribly wrong and Leo's fellow gang members run away and leave him to the authorities. It's pretty doubtful they could have done much to help...but Leo is the type to hold a grudge. When he eventually gets out of prison, he seems to have one thing on his mind....revenge against his old mates. Soon they start dying off...and you wonder if Leo will take them all out during the course of this movie. However, some of the gang members are real tough and clever sorts...perhaps they can stop him before it's too late.

If you like film noir, then you'll probably enjoy this. Hartnell plays a real nasty little rat...sort of like a Jimmy Cagney type but much more vicious. It also has a really dandy ending! Well worth seeing...for Who fans and non-Whovians.

This decent British noir is about a petty crook who gets out of prison and is caught between the police looking for a murderer and the crooks who got him put in prison in a smash and grab job. It is a lot grittier than American noir. William Hartnell is very believable as the ex-con and Joyce Howard is fine as the not-too-bright dance hall girl who believes him. American noirs seem to have a sheen of glamor in comparison to this underclass melodrama.

There is a strong homosexual component to the underworld in this movie, with Herbert Lom as an effete foreign crime boss; his chief henchman plays his role as flamboyantly homosexual, just shy of a British comedy. The whole thing looks shot cheaply, which adds to the grime, and the direction and actors don't seem to do full justice to the script, but the net effect is decent. Worth a look.

William Hartnell is part of a smash & grab crew led by Raymond Lovell. When Hartnell smashes a jeweler's window, a protective gate drops on his wrists, breaking them, and the crew takes off without him before the police arrives. After serving time in prison, Hartnell wants to get even with Lovell and his crew, by framing him for the murder of his chauffeur, using Lovell's gun. He establishes an alibi for himself through dancer-for-hire Joyce Howard, but police inspector Robert Beatty thinks Howard is a bit too eager to support Hartnell's alibi and digs deeper. Lovell's gun however belongs to Herbert Lom, art dealer by day, Lovell's criminal boss by night. So rather than getting even with Lovell, Hartnell now has to deal with the police, as well as Lom.

Hartnell ('Brighton Rock', the first Doctor Who) plays his character as tightly wound as possible (or incredibly stiff, depending on your point of view), which works well for me. Every time you sorta start to feel sympathy for him, he does something mean again (despite caring for Howard, he still deceives and lies to her to save his own skin). Lom ('Night And The City', 'Hell Drivers') is great as a suave crook. They are the standouts in an otherwise decent but unremarkable cast. I wish Joyce Howard's character wasn't written as naively as it is, it doesn't work too well with the 'street wise' side of her character.

The movie starts out great with a quick set-up and some really nicely done shots, including extreme Dutch angles and shadow-rich scenes. I was hoping for a precursor to the awesome 'Brighton Rock' already, but after a while things start to lose steam. There are still plenty of shadows and decent shots, but the plot becomes unnecessarily muddy and even slow in places. It is however gritty, both in Hartnell's character as in the overall feel. Not a bad effort from director & writer John Harlow (who also directed/wrote a couple of Sexton Blake movies) but it doesn't live up to the great first 10-15 minutes. 6.5/10

William Hartnell (Leo Martin) feels he has been set up in a jewellery robbery that goes wrong. He is caught and sent to prison and then emerges keen on confronting his pals that let him down, ie Raymond Lovell (Gus Loman) who now owns a successful nightclub and chauffeur Victor Weske (Hatchett). He commits a murder and frames Lovell with blackmail by using Lovell's gun. However, Lovell's gun actually belongs to gang mastermind Herbert Lom (Gregory Land) and Lovell, in turn, blackmails Lom. Robert Beatty (Rogers) is the detective responsible for solving this murder and he pursues Hartnell and the dancehall hostess Joyce Howard (Carol) who Hartnell has been spending all his time with.

While the story is quite entertaining and has some clever moments, eg, the orangeade scene and it's later significance, the cast let things down. The worst offenders are the VERY unconvincing baddie Alan Wheatley (Noel), Joyce Howard, Raymond Lovell and William Hartnell. There are also minor characters that irritate. In fact, the film is only saved by Herbert Lom and Robert Beatty - a completely different league to the others. Not because they are doing anything outstanding but because they are capable of a competent, believable performance.

Alan Wheatley - convincing as a flowery homosexual but utterly wrong as a gangster. Awfully camp dialogue delivery. Joyce Howard - laughably bad at acting. Terrible diction. Raymond Lovell - another unconvincing gangster. Miscast as heavy with a lisp. William Hartnell - trying too hard to be tough. Pitches his voice in a semi-shout which can be hilarious (eg, when Howard asks his name, he shouts at her "Leo the Lion") but is mostly annoying.

Overall, the film is OK while you are watching but it needs a cast transplant. It has the potential to be a good film but this lot ruin it somewhat.