A pretty good little British thriller which I happened to catch, unexpectedly, on television late one morning. John Mills (slightly miscast as a rough type) plays a guy fresh from doing a 12-year-stretch who decides to get revenge on those who were responsible for him being locked up for all those years. Yes, it's an overly-familiar story still being utilised even today (in the likes of OLDBOY), but it does well with the set-up.Mills sets up a kind of temporary home or shelter on some rotting hulks out on the mudflats and it's a highly effective place to build atmosphere. Sadly, the thriller aspects of the story are slightly less compelling than I was hoping for, although the characterisation is strong. Mills is the consummate professional and the supporting cast give some choice performances, including an early turn for James Bond's M, Geoffrey Keen. There are some great slices of action and chase scenes towards the climax which help to build excitement and make this a solid effort for the British studios of the era.

This is a prime example of Lead Soufflé School Of Light Entertainment. How dire is it? Let me count the ways. On second thought better not, wed be here all day. It's from that school of Realism where scrap metal dealers wear bow ties and carnations in the lapel whilst presiding over huge totally empty warehouses that would, in a film boasting even a scintilla of realism, be bursting with scrap metal. There's only one employee on view, Harold Lang, who trebles as receptionist, switchboard operator and chauffeur to say nothing of purveyor of smart, sophisticated dialogue. Sample: John McCallum to Lang. 'How does this (indicating switchboard) work? Lang: 'Find out'. This sets up an intriguing question. Was this film ghost-written by 1)Geoge Kaufman and Moss Hart, 2)Joseph L. Mankiewicz, or 3) Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Answers on a postcard, please, to: Do I Look As Though I Give A Big Rat's Ass. Amongst other delights this movie boasts one of the most improbable menage a trois on record with Thora Hird and Vida Hope vying for the attentions of a punch-drunk John Slater, proud owner of a bashed-in face that makes Lon Chaney look like Tom Cruise. The plot? It is to laugh.

The more one watches this film, the more inconsistencies reveal themselves. These do not detract from the overall intensity of the drama unfolding before your eyes ; one is almost a voyeur in a dingy world that hopefully doesn't exist anymore..... or does it? That's for the voyeur to contemplate or despair of. Those who know this area of the Kent coast in England will identify the Chetney Marshes on the Medway Estuary as the prime location ; as bleak a location as you can get - mud flats as far as the eye can see. However, as the tide come in, the scene changes dramatically as the boats come in to harbour along the coastline. The other location in Gravesend, Kent is no longer there, but part of Queen Street still exists (for the time being). The church so prominently displayed is St. Andrews on the waterfront and is now open to visitors as an Arts Centre. One annoying blooper is the Inspector at the end who forgets to negate the possession of a gun licence that the old scavenger hasn't got after having just shot the villain! Yet another blooper is the exodus from Waterloo at the start of the film, when in fact they should be boarding the train to Gravesend! Still, I am a man of Kent, I know these things. Don't let any of these points deter you from watching the best of British. It's a great film.

Well this gloomy doomey looking film, really set of my miserable day which was just as gloomy and miserable outside. This bleak film set mostly in marsh land added a certain slash wrist genre to this film.Davidson (John Mills) is a man who has just been released from doing a 12 year stint in prison for a crime he did not commit. Seething with revenge, he starts out looking for the people who set him up so he can administer his revenge.I must say, after a while this film was engaging, and I sat through and watched to the end. At times is was slow and wordy but also came over as a bit of early Hitchcock film noir.