A young lorry driver called Terry McKinley (Anthony Booth) picks up a young runaway called Shirley (Jacqueline Ellis) en route to London with a consignment of whiskey worth £20,000. As they make their way down a quiet country b road, they are set upon by a gang of hijackers lead by Jack Carter (Derek Francis) who make off with the lorry and its valuable goods. Shirley who managed to escape is able to get a good look at Carter and is able to give a description to Inspector Grayson (Patrick Cargill). Terry invites Shirley to stay with him at his London flat and we learn that his business partner, Jim Brady (Ronald Hines), is working for Carter's gang. He tipped them off as to what valuable goods he was carrying and the route he was taking. Unfortunately, Brady learns that Shirley is able to identify his boss and later that night, Terry and Shirley receive a visit from a couple of Carter's thugs who deliver a sinister warning. By now, Terry strongly suspects his old friend Brady and drags him off to the police where he is forced to tell them of the gang's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Shirley visits her ex husband, Tim, who is doing time at Wormwood Scrubs. She threatens to tell the police about other crimes he was connected with, which could put him behind bars for longer unless she tells him where the gang are hiding out. She goes to Carter's house in Hampstead but she is overpowered by the gang. But fortunately, Brady has cracked and informs Terry and Inspector Grayson that the gang are pulling off another job, a lorry carrying £30,000 worth of cosmetics. As it happens the lorry is being driven by one of Terry's mates, a guy known as Scouse (Harold Goodwin). Terry and the police trace the gang to an abandoned farm but not until after they have hijacked the truck but in time to save the goods and rescue Shirley...
A routine b-pic thriller from Butcher's, Britain's poverty row studio who churned out numerous pot boilers such as this. Anybody who has seen a great number of them will probably agree that many were pretty awful. This one is utterly routine in terms of its plot but it is kept watchable thanks to brisk paced direction by Jim O' Connolly here working from his own screenplay who even throws in a few effective directorial touches, which you would not expect from such a routine production. Derek Francis is good as the gang leader, Jack Carter, who as well as planning ingenious hijacking methods also has a passion for cookery. "I find it creative rather like art or sculpture" he tells one of his accomplices. "I took it up when I was in Parkhurst and I ended up cooking for the prison governor and I think he was sorry when I left". Anthony Booth enjoys himself in the lead as Terry and he goes through his role cheerfully. He clearly enjoys the opportunity to do the odd fight scene and jump through a window (without the glass I might add) and knock a couple of hoodlums for six. Jacqueline Ellis is very competent as Shirley but the love angle is very blandly worked out and you cannot really imagine her character falling for Terry. There is an amusing little scene where Scouse approaches a road block, which he assumes to be the hijackers so he drives straight through it so pleased with himself that he narrowly avoids a deadly collision with a tree. He is surprised when he learns that it was a genuine road block. But later he approaches another one and assumes this one to be genuine as well so he stops and - you've guessed it - this time it is the hijackers!
A routine b-pic thriller from Butcher's, Britain's poverty row studio who churned out numerous pot boilers such as this. Anybody who has seen a great number of them will probably agree that many were pretty awful. This one is utterly routine in terms of its plot but it is kept watchable thanks to brisk paced direction by Jim O' Connolly here working from his own screenplay who even throws in a few effective directorial touches, which you would not expect from such a routine production. Derek Francis is good as the gang leader, Jack Carter, who as well as planning ingenious hijacking methods also has a passion for cookery. "I find it creative rather like art or sculpture" he tells one of his accomplices. "I took it up when I was in Parkhurst and I ended up cooking for the prison governor and I think he was sorry when I left". Anthony Booth enjoys himself in the lead as Terry and he goes through his role cheerfully. He clearly enjoys the opportunity to do the odd fight scene and jump through a window (without the glass I might add) and knock a couple of hoodlums for six. Jacqueline Ellis is very competent as Shirley but the love angle is very blandly worked out and you cannot really imagine her character falling for Terry. There is an amusing little scene where Scouse approaches a road block, which he assumes to be the hijackers so he drives straight through it so pleased with himself that he narrowly avoids a deadly collision with a tree. He is surprised when he learns that it was a genuine road block. But later he approaches another one and assumes this one to be genuine as well so he stops and - you've guessed it - this time it is the hijackers!