Signes particuliers: néant

I suspect that this was a "B" movie of the day. We don't have "Second feature" movies any more, nowadays we are presented with one almighty production that revolves around a single famous actor and a host of special effects.

This little offering is different, there is a host of really great actors and a lot of character development. Anthony Newley is great and fits his role so well. Palance seems to be not quite with it but I have noticed this in a few of his films, his Texan accent was a mistake.

It was interesting to see the change in our leading lady after she had been beaten up. Even her ample top didn't seem to be bursting at the seams!

Well worth a watch - if you can get it.

John Gilling was, for the British film industry, a director who gave us thrillers, adventure movies and also horror ones, as also did Terence Fisher, Roy Ward Baker, Freddie Francis. But for each of those directors, we always remind the horror features. For John Gilling, we remind THE REPTILE, SHADOW OF THE CAT, PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, MUMMY'S SHROUD but never his thrillers: PICK UP ALLEY, MAN INSIDE, IT TAKES A THIEF - THE CHALLENGE. I don't even speak of this colonial adventure films speaking of pirates or British Army in India or Afghanistan - BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR, BANDIT OF ZHOBE. For all those films, non horror I mean, Gilling brought his trade mark in the script, directing. Here, he meets Anita Ekberg with whom he also made PICK UP ALLEY, a good thriller where the villain Nigel Patrick nearly steals the show for his performance.

a crime film. far to be memorable, it is not bad. only version of an old recipes, with clear characters, with wise used actors in key roles. the expectations are far to be high. but the film remains decent and the story, unrealistic in essence, seems be more than nice. because if you ignore the details, nothing is too strange. Jack Palance does a good job using his simple presence. same situation - Anita Ekberg who is only the beautiful seducer with few moral fights but nothing complicated or bizarre. a film from a genre who reflects the expectations from a period. so, nothing special. but a decent crime who, far to be Hitchcock, is useful for memory. and for a kind of nostalgic entertainment.

I have never heard of Director John Gilling - and with good reason! At least on IMDB, his work does not get much by way of high ratings.

That said, he had a hand in THE MAN INSIDE's script, and it ain't half bad. Clearly, despite scenes in Lisbon (I would contend that it is really a run down part of Madrid, the locals even speak castillian, not Portuguese, irrespective of the obligatory "obrigado"), Madrid, Paris and London, this has the look of a low budget flick.

The action is entertaining enough, with some zesty moments but cinematography by - to me unknown - Ted Moore is generally dark, mostly inside trains, and not overly memorable.

Nigel Patrick stands out as Sam Carter, who insists on being addressed as Carrasco (meaning "executioner" in both Portuguese and Spanish) . He reminded me of Mr Holland in THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (UK 1951), memorably played by Alec Guinness, but with a far colder and more evil drive, to the point of actually icing two or three people along the way, all for the sake of holding on to a priceless diamond.

I agree with other reviewers that Jack Palance seems miscast. I would have loved to see Joel McCrea in his role as March. Anita Ekberg's posterior alone is worth the price of admission, and seeing her whole must have been a massive boner... hmm, bonus, to many a young male spectator at the time.

Bonar Colleano makes a credible, sophisticated heavy with stylish glasses to boot.

Sid James with a US accent and Newley as a Spaniard miss the mark, though, despite the latter's quick thinking - his English is just too good to come across as a convincing Spaniard.

All told, watching this 90-minute flick is no waste of time. 7/10.

Just finished watching this on Talking Pictures and was very entertained. The film cracks along at a decent pace and the cast are supported by a decent, and often humorous, script. The first-call British actors all turn in their usual good performances (no Sam Kydd though, most have been an oversight) although Sid James's American accent leaves a lot to be desired. As well as a good storyline, one of the delights is seeing European capital cities in the late 1950s. A lot of the film is on location, and as such, for British audiences, this must have seemed impossibly exotic and romantic. The train sequence at the end has echoes of 'From Russia With Love' which was made five or six years later. Finally, a word for Anita Ekberg's corsetry, which deserved an Oscar all of its own. Recommended.