CALCULATED RISK is a fine little British B-picture about a gang of criminals plotting a major heist. What's so special about that, you might ask; you'd be well within your rights to do so, given that the same set-up propelled about a hundred of these pictures during the era. Well, where CALCULATED RISK works is in the execution, which takes place within the claustrophobic confines of a ruined cellar for the most part.
An above-average script wrings maximum tension from the story and a largely unknown cast all do very well in their character roles. William Lucas is the master criminal behind the job and much more sympathetic than he was in THE BREAK, where he played a similarly but slightly more murderous character. Watch out for Warren Mitchell in a fun cameo as a market trader. The plot has some great twists thrown into it which really help build the tension, and the last ten minutes or so are quite extraordinary. CALCULATED RISK is the kind of film that reminds you that you don't need a high or even medium budget or any action to make a gripping and suspenseful thriller - just a good story, well told.