Escape by Night

To me Sid James was the embodiment of the "Carry on" series. Sid was a very beloved comical actor. "Escape by Night" gives us the opportunity to watch him in a serious role. Sid is convincing as the Italian gangster, Gino Rossi. Perhaps he is too convincing. As with Stellan Skarsgård's portrayal of the Russian citizen Dima, Sid doesn't play a character, but rather a stereotype or a cliché. Rossi is highly suspicious, violent and trigger-happy. Just, what you would expect from an Italian gangster. Sadly his character becomes too one-dimensional.

I must openly admit that this film didn't engage me. I am no fan of gangster films. I more like "whodunits" and psychological thrillers. The plot is very protracted. What enlivens the film is the presence of Andrew Ray as the working class boy, but today I think it would be difficult to convince a boy of his age that you are a secret agent.

Never forget that director John Gilling began his career for the crime part of the British film industry, before resuming for adventure and horror part.... Where he became the most famous. Here, you have nothing special, everything is predictable and the prime character not interesting at all for me. I will rapidly forget this film, where there is a good guy vs the villains. That's not the true definition of a crime film for me. However, because it is a John Gilling's movie, I watched it, that's all. The photography is good, the pace quick, the film never really boring, but so predictable. Not a waste but not the most interesting from SHADOW OF THE CAT director.

This crime drama has some decent atmospheric settings and touches, but the rest of the movie is far too dreary to be satisfying. Most of the story concerns Tom Buchan, a journalist who wants to get the life story of Gino, a notorious crime boss. The two hide out together in an abandoned theater and make plans for Gino's getaway, while Gino tells Buchan about his life. They use a naive young boy to send messages to those outside. The abandoned building setting is done pretty well, and is quite suitable to the story. There is also some rather good use of lighting and other detail to set an appropriate tone.

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the movie is just not very good at all. The biggest problem is with the characters. The journalist is supposed to be the hero, but he is self-centered, irresponsible, vain, and not nearly as clever as he (or the script-writer) thinks he is. The rest of the characters are either offensive brutes or are inexcusably foolish. The generally weak, stale dialogue doesn't make things any better. The story itself has some interesting features, but moves too slowly, and without any worthwhile characters to follow, there are many drab and lifeless stretches. The climactic sequence does hold some drama, and could have been quite good - but all the characters are such losers that there just isn't any reason to care about what happens to them, so the climax loses much of its impact.

There are some good features to "Escape By Night", and it could have been a much better movie with better characters and writing. But as it stands, there is really no reason to watch it unless you are a big fan of any and all crime/gangster movies, regardless of their quality.

Cliff Goodwins ironically makes no mention of this film in his biography of Sid James despite it containing one of his most interesting film roles from his early gangster days, opposite Bonar Colleano.

'Sydney' (as he was then billed) is immaculately dressed, wears a stylish moustache and attempts an Italian accent as criminal kingpin Gino Rossini in this dryly humorous second feature with the usual excellent location work by Monty Berman, a guest appearance by child star Andrew Ray's old man Ted and a final scene with Simone Silva obviously intended to evoke 'The Third Man'.

A reporter grabs his chance to revive his career by sheltering with a fugitive gangster in a defunct theater. They use a boy as a mediator with the outside world. The lad relays instalments of the gangster's life story to the reporter's newspaper. Also through the boy, the gangster's girlfriend is able to visit the two hideaways. She takes a fancy to the reporter while the gangster gets a much needed sleep. The action hots up later when the police move in on the pair of men. Noir fans should enjoy Bonar Colleano's tough delivery as the reporter. Sid James shows his adaptability as the gangster. Andrew Ray, with a pudding basin haircut, is suitably enthusiastic as the boy who loves the fantasy games the two strangers offer him. The shabby setting of the theater lends atmosphere. Colleano jokes "So this is what happened to vaudeville!"