John Marsden comes up with a master plan to murder his invalid wife Hester, and start a new life with his striking French Mistress Michele. Hot on his heels is Inspector Walker, who does everything he can to unpick the web Marsden has spun.It's a highly intriguing concept, as utterly unfeasible as the plot may be, it's still interesting enough. I find it more then difficult to believe that his boat would not have hit an unsuspecting bystander within ten minutes.The beginning is really enjoyable, I like the plot set up, the characters (even if some of the acting is a little ropy,) the trouble is after the first 25 minutes the film did not keep my attention, it became a little boring, once the M.O was discovered all the intrigue disappeared. The music was overpowering.I found myself using the fast forward button, 5/10

John Marsden (Derek Bond) is persuaded by his glamorous mistress, Michele (Nicole Maurey), to murder his invalid wife for her money. He devises what seems to be the perfect murder plot by having himself appear to be in charge of his yacht when the deed is done. This he achieves by fitting an autopilot to his vessel and, as soon as he has cleared Shoreham harbour, he dives off the yacht and swims ashore where his mistress has a car waiting. He commits the murder, stealing some jewelery to make it look like a burglary and then takes a boat from Southampton to the French coast where he has a speed boat waiting. He rejoins the yacht, sinks the speed boat and arrives in La Havre as if nothing had happened. However, Inspector Walker (Elwyn Brook-Jones) has his doubts and sets out to prove Marsden did it.Very watchable as a time capsule of an era of British filmmaking that has long since died. This b-pic will seem like a prototype Columbo to viewers (That was what I thought and I was delighted when another reviewer here said exactly the same) with Brook-Jones's detective - complete with a shabby overcoat - getting his man by irritating him. There is a great little scene on board the yacht where Derek Bond has filled the saloon with butane gas in order to try and kill the inspector - hoping he'll light his pipe thus causing an explosion. However, every match he attempts to strike is dead - good suspense here.Its directed by Vernon Sewell who directed many second features throughout the fifties and sixties - some well above average and won critical plaudits that these sort of films rarely got. Check out Strongroom and two others that I have yet to see though my film guides love them, The Man In The Back Seat and House Of Mystery. Sewell was also a keen yachtsman and his own steam vessel, The Gelert, appeared in several of his movies as a very useful prop; although the producers reportedly got tired of it and told him: "Vernon, your yacht, no more."

Vernon Sewell,the director owned a boat and liked to have it featured in a number of his films. In this film it provides the setting for much of the action.Sewell makes a decent attempt to try and convince us that there was a reasonable chance that the police would not be able to get enough evidence to charge him with murder. There is though one unintentionally funny scene where Bond has opened up a gas pipe in an attempt to blow up the detective.The detective keeps on trying to light his pipe with matches and a lighter but nothing works. This is rather an entertaining thriller. Obviously Sewell must have enjoyed himself particularly with all the nautical terms included in the script.

Not a very compelling film at all, I erroneously believed it was from the late thirties, perhaps an English suspense drama. Upon looking it up, I see it is from 1956! Inexcusably dull film.Derek Bond as the husband agrees with his French mistress Nicole Maurey that he will kill his invalid wife so they can be together. He devises 'an ingenious plot' by making sure he is seen voyaging out in a yacht, racing back in a rented speedboat or something, murdering her, then hurrying back, establishing his alibi. Apparently automatic pilot was still a bit of a novelty as that seemed to be the evidence that turned the tide. French witnesses to an unidentified speedboat and a gas fume leak in the yacht were also little tidbits to pay attention to. Pity Hitchcock couldn't have gotten hold of this one.Bond sought to off the Inspector with that gas fume leak on the yacht when he lit a match but the Inspector was out of matches. Suddenly Maurey was shocked by the man she saw. Why, when she had pushed him into murdering his wife? Maurey and Bond are for some reason listed as the stars but the investigating detectives were more compelling to watch. Look for 'Double Indemnity' instead.