Traqué par Scotland Yard

The main reason to watch this movie now, for me - and I guess most - is for John Mills, as the firm but fair Scotland Yard Inspector Detective, who has to solve a couple of murders of young women in a sleepy Home Counties town in England.

It's all about the rather sermonising 1950's "respectable" folk who wag their fingers at a local beauty - a Marilyn Monroe (sort of) lookalike who carries on with married men and flaunts her curvy figure at the local snobbish Sports Club, the elitism of which extends beyond their usual, especially as the membership secretary is a fan of hers....

One night, she is strangled and of course, a whole array of the obvious candidates spring up, some red herrings and some real. Charles Coburn as a disgraced GP and Derek Farr who has more business fingers in more pies than are reasonable are two of the more recognisable stars that come under the Inspector's radar.

The film is well enough made, the story complex enough to satisfy the average amateur sleuth and John Mills is sturdy, even if his 'romance' with one of the deceased young friends is both awkward and frankly, ridiculous. There's also a pretty meaty and suspenseful ending, that Hitchcock himself might have come up with.

Mills investigates the murder of a glamorous young girl at a sports club where there seem to be three principal suspects Coburn, the local doctor, lothario Farr and troubled young man McCowen.

Actually rather enjoyable whodunnit with Mills in fine form as the tough detective. The notion of a town on trial is a bit of a stretch and when the reveal comes it's a bit disappointing, but solid stuff nonetheless

This film has a great cast, three plausible suspects and is directed very stylishly. John Mills is aces as always. The rest of the cast is top notch.

It was an entertaining little sleeper.

As pointed out by another reviewer, TOWN ON TRIAL opens with a murder confession. Which is pivotal to the film's eliptical structure.

This film is one of Director John Guilhermin's finest achievements, perhaps topped only by RAPTURE (1965), well before epic duds like TOWERING INFERNO and KING KONG in the 1970s.

At this stage in his career, Guilhermin showed an eye for detail, and TOWN opens with a very interesting and fluid camera movement as a police car parks outside a police station and an unidentified and facially unrevealed criminal gets out in cuffs. That seemingly minor detail pings off a series of other deft touches throughout, filmed with considerable verve and imagination by the highly competent if not terribly well known Basil Emott.

I rate John Mills one of the most reliable actors I have had the pleasure to watch. I have never seen a poor performance from him, and I have seen many well above average, including RYAN'S DAUGHTER, OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR, HOBSON'S CHOICE, ABOVE US THE WAVES, THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, among others. Well, he is simply peerless in TOWN ON TRIAL. The way he conveys job knowledge, raises and lowers his voice, his eyes - which can be menacing or loving, depending on who he addresses (lovely Bates certainly gets the sensitive treatment). His acting in this film deserves careful study, such is the versatility.

Beautiful Bates performs credibly as a nurse, conveying heartfelt interest in others... and love. I guess she portrays the type of woman any man would fall head over heels for.

Charles Coburn, Alec McCowen, and Geoffrey Keen deliver first class support for the leads, and vivacious Elizabeth Seal almost steals the show with a small pouting and dancing part.

Very strong script. A real treat of a noir/whodunnit film.

Having been stuck in the house on a cold winter afternoon I switched on Channel 4 to view their afternoon film Town on Trial and am I glad I did This is a hidden gem of a movie. It will keep you guessing right up to the end who the murderer is. Try and spot Dandy Nichols in a bit part(this is what I love about these old fifties films,spotting actors who go on to greater things) If you can get a copy to rent you will not be disappointed. I give it nine out of ten