on 1/1/2026, 9:11 am
David Flint at his Desperate Living site has good words for this film and its "relatives"...
(Stanley) Baker, a master at playing hard but inherently decent characters, is on top form here and is ably backed up by Donald Pleasence, Billie Whitelaw (seen in a surprisingly frank moment of semi-nudity and implied sexual violence at one point) and a cast of familiar faces. The locations--be it a now unrecognisable Manchester city centre or the wastelands of the Pennines--are extraordinarily evocative, and show just how effective British crime films could be if they left their cosy London bases.
Gritty 1960s black and white British crime films--we can also include Baker’s Hell Drivers, The Violent Playground, The Hijackers, Calculated Risk and others amongst them--remain a sadly neglected genre, both in terms of DVD release and film criticism. A pity, as they are among the most interesting films of the time.
It's all true that Brit-noir as a whole is truly a hard sell for film noir festivals--even harder than French noir, which in its truncated definition at least has the FF/Rialto "cash grab" motivation still semi-intact. We see Brit-noir at best as second features in a double bill with what is often a lesser American noir...one of these days it's to be hoped that someone (hint, hint) will see fit to give Brit-noir the type of extended examination it so rightfully deserves...
And a happy new year to all of you out there lurking in the dark... :-)
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