A Question of Suspense

The less you know about the story, the more you are likely to enjoy it. At little more than an hour long, this is a brisk little thriller powered by a decent story. The acting is variable, with the lead doing most of the heavy lifting, but with some decent sets, location shooting (in Ireland) and a plot that rattles along like a clockwork toy this passes the time agreeably enough.

Another garrulous crime quickie made at Ardmore Studios disinterred by Talking Pictures, but a good cut above their dire 'Enter Inspector Duval' screened two nights ago.

This makes less attempt to conceal it's Irish provenance, and boasts some attractive location work, as well as a formidable female lead in Noelle Middleton, who transforms herself from a mouse into a fox by the time-honoured ruse of leaving her glasses off and changing her hairstyle.

While not an especially well-known feature, Max Varnel's briskly entertaining 'A Question of Suspense' proves itself to be a lively, capably acted, terrifically twisty-turny Noirish British crime melodrama from the more than capable director of the no less absorbing Anton Diffring-led B-thriller 'Enter Inspector Duval' (1961), while, perhaps, not quite as dynamic as the latter, this dastardly nefarious tale concerning demonstratively shady business dealings, and callous murder remains a smart, effective, if a little routine 60s B-Thriller, and while somewhat formulaic in style, it still simmers along politely to an amusingly theatrical climax! While the talented cast all equipped themselves rather splendidly, once again, I was taken by the sinisterly smooth acting stylings of the delightfully charismatic actor Peter Reynolds as the devilishly glib, Machiavellian heel Jim Tellman Drew, and the ravishing brunette Yvonne Buckingham is certainly easy on the eye! This is most certainly a worthwhile watch for rabid fans of vintage British crime drama.

The basic plot of this 1961 movie seems to be borrowed for Danger By My Side (1962). In that crime film, Maureen Connell is out to trap the killer of her brother by cozying up to the murderer after glamming herself up. In A Question of Suspense, Noelle Middleton glams up to get the murderer of her man. It's an okay programmer if entirely predictable and done a hundred times. Yvonne Buckingham is the killer's secretary and is wasted in that minor role. I never understood the producers and casting directors who underappreciated this beauty, always giving her nothing parts. She should have gotten the lead in this picture.

Another forgotten, if anyone knew it ever existed, 'B' movie shown on Talking Pictures. They seem to have a never ending stream of these old British films from the 50's & 60's. This one is just an hour long and was actually shot in Ireland and is certainly worth watching. The story revolves around a crooked business man, Peter Reynolds, his less successful school friend,Norman Rodway, who becomes his downtrodden employee and their mutual schoolboy crush, played by Yvonne Buckingham. Norman finds out about Peter Reynolds bond forging scam and attempts blackmail. Big mistake.

One quibble I would have about this film is the title. It is not at all suspenseful as we always see what is going on with no major shocks or even mild surprises, but as an entertaining hour with decent acting, it fits the bill.