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A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

A Major Disappointment

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I had avoided this film, mainly because of the male lead. While Bonar Colleano (son of an Australian Circus family) executes his role as an over confident small time American smuggler admirably, I can't help feeling this film needed a star of more international renown. Perhaps Richard Widmark, or Howard Keel (both had made dramas in England) would have given the film a wider appeal. In real life, Colleano eventually married his pretty co star Susan Shaw, who sadly fell to drink following Bonar's tragic death in an auto accident, at only 34. The support cast are all hard workers and ensure you quickly get caught up in the action. Award nominated writers, John Eldridge (who also died young at 42 due to bad health) and Jack Whittingham (A.K.F. The Divided Heart '54, Mandy '52) weave a fast moving story, leading the viewer down an eternally twisting path that's peopled by an interesting assortment of characters. Bermudian born Earl Cameron scores in his first major dramatic part, he's the lonely seaman, tired of bouts of racial abuse, then finally being 'set-up' in a vicious heist. It's a pity that fine character actor Lawrence Naismith (Amazing Mr Blunden) is wasted in a very small role as a bigoted racist. Excellent Director: Basil Deardon (The Blue Lamp '50, Sapphire '59) uses many unique locations (most now gone due to the 'Docklands' re-development) to marvelous advantage. His Director of Photography: Gordon Dines, turns in striking visuals, matching Deardon's flair, with one top sequence following another...through to the exciting finale.John Adison's music score sets off well, with an off beat dramatic style for the Main Title, although this unfortunately gives way to some conventional background scoring. Not quite up to his 1956 'Reach for the Sky', or 61's 'A Taste of Honey'. This film should be far better known ~ any lover of British crime dramas should not be disappointed. Unfortunately, I saw this film on local TV (Gem Australia with their way too BIG, way too bright 'PINK' logo, etc - will they ever wake up?) but, I'm told the recently released DVD quality is good. Any Tram enthusiast wanting to see a round cornered, double decker English Tram, has got to own this title.

A film of super quality. Great direction and cinematography but probably a nightmare for the sound crew doing London location shooting…must have required extensive post-production work in the studio. The actors are all well chosen in that they are totally believable…even down to Michael Ward's camp cameo pianist "…who ME?". There are usually complaints about women with cut-glass accents appearing in films of that era and sounding out of place, but this was post-WW2 and lots of young, and not so young women who'd earned independence in the services or the war factories, or had become war-widows weren't quite ready to go back to mummy…so they got city jobs and lived in or shared bed-sits and tried to enjoy life in Austerity Britain. This film shows that in spite of what hindsight historians would have us believe, not everyone went round looking glum. They still wanted pleasure in life in spite of severe rationing...and in spite of the five and a half- to six-day working week. In the absence of TV, with only the radio to rely on, people went out to pubs, clubs, dance-halls, variety shows, the theatre and the cinema. They didn't embrace austerity, they needed a break from it. All of which is beautifully reflected in this film. The plot is no real surprise, the acting is more than adequate for a low-budget film, but the addition of location filming around the city streets, the bomb sites, the wharfs, the cobbled alleys, the dockyard taverns and the hustle and bustle of a busy port give this film a sheen that makes it rise above expectations.A long overdue release, that finally came in 2009, the film is a face-spotters delight. I do firmly believe that Bonar Colleano, had he lived, would have had a great career as a character actor in the UK.

Quite splendid and surprisingly good British film with marvellous and evocative location shooting, mainly in and around the Tower Bridge and the docks. Fast moving, with decent story, well acted and directed, I am amazed I have never come across this before. Living in Greenwich, I was particularly thrilled to see a sequence shot in the Maritime Museum plus a shot which included a glimpse of what looked like a derelict observatory, certainly not surrounded by tourists as it is today. Also great to see the power station billowing smoke and absolutely no docklands development beyond. Earl Cameron plays the West Indian sailor who is shown getting pretty close to the action, even if he is considered, 'Just like all the rest.' Good to see he has continued to work right up to the present. Unlike the co-lead, very popular in his day apparently, Bonar Colleano, who died in a motor accident eight years after making this. Not a 'noir' as some have suggested, but a rattling good yarn and if you are interested in a glimpse of early post-war London, trams and all, this is a must.

This is a much overlooked and underrated Ealing gem. It features fine performances by Bonar Colleano and Earl Cameron as his friend and ship-mate. Cameron's performance is an important and groundbreaking one for a black actor in a British movie. The location shots of post-war London are wonderful. I thoroughly commend this movie