Irony meets Film Noir in this study of an anxious C.E.O. who, believing he is on the verge of financial ruin, plots his own murder so his philandering wife will get the insurance money. But as fate has it, his fortunes turn, and he must stop the hit-man he hired to kill him before it is too late. "One way or another, I'm gonna get ya!" could be the theme song of one sequence where the killer goes after him in a variety of ways, and after these several attempts fail, he learns the truth.
An above average entry in this series of Hammer Film Noirs (many of them less than mediocre), it is a variation of the old "D.O.A. plot where the victim tries to solve his own (possible) demise. A faithful secretary is his only confidante, and there's always a doubt as to who the real culprit is. Dane Clark may seem an odd choice to play a corporate executive (especially one in England), but he's actually quite good. There's a very funny sequence involving a rare Aztec vase being protected by a nervous assistant to the over-the-top Sydney Greenstreet like archaeologist whose denouncement at the very beginning of the film sets Clark's plans into motion.
An above average entry in this series of Hammer Film Noirs (many of them less than mediocre), it is a variation of the old "D.O.A. plot where the victim tries to solve his own (possible) demise. A faithful secretary is his only confidante, and there's always a doubt as to who the real culprit is. Dane Clark may seem an odd choice to play a corporate executive (especially one in England), but he's actually quite good. There's a very funny sequence involving a rare Aztec vase being protected by a nervous assistant to the over-the-top Sydney Greenstreet like archaeologist whose denouncement at the very beginning of the film sets Clark's plans into motion.