This powerful British Noir is one of the bleakest films you'll ever see, but with enough empathy for its main characters to justify the gutting 'ironic' ending. The great Eric Portman plays Eddie, a barber and part-time hangman who meets a drenched, world-beaten Ann Todd in a London pub. They fall in love and soon marry, but the spectre of her lust for bad men hangs over them. When Danish seaman Olaf (Maxwell Reed, a touch stiff) takes an interest, you know things are going to go wrong, though just how wrong might surprise you. Portman is a little under-utilised in the final third – a few more scenes of him grappling with his personal demons around the gallows might have made this a classic – but Edward Rigby is strong in a pretty straight dramatic role, and Bill Owen nicely understated as Eddie's sole confidante.
Atmospheric direction and terrific performances by Portman and Todd (who generate considerable chemistry) are the main selling points of this bold, original film, though those who prefer their crime pics with an ounce of optimism should avoid. The use of a flashback structure is of questionable value – was that just the demands of convention?
(3.5 out of 4)
Atmospheric direction and terrific performances by Portman and Todd (who generate considerable chemistry) are the main selling points of this bold, original film, though those who prefer their crime pics with an ounce of optimism should avoid. The use of a flashback structure is of questionable value – was that just the demands of convention?
(3.5 out of 4)