5/10
XX Spoilers XX
13 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Not entirely awful, but not entirely good either, Mainly, if you're a fan of the British film-noir crime genre of course. David McCallum, a brooding, vicious, little villain decides to kill for money. Enter his old chum Kenneth Cope, fresh out of prison as the mate wanting his cut from another job they did yet HE went inside for. McCallum talks his chum into that 'one last job'at the strip club he frequents, having sized-up the Boss's takings from the office safe even though Cope's five minutes out of prison. But can McCallum ride his luck and stop at killing? Nope - he carries on, basically. That's about it and of course, as no-one in those days in British cinema at least was allowed to be seen to be getting away with crime, (until after 1970 I believe?). That's about it as I say, he gets his in the end. Set among the world of a strip club in typical 50s/60s style of Brylcreem, cigarettes and bad jazz music complete with cymbals at the drum kit,(oh and London smog) the script is pretty ordinary and does drag in a few places. It has its 'kitchen-sink' atmosphere, arguing with his dad, but he is a villain so it's not surprising. However, it has just enough to hold you as another one for the wet Saturday/Sunday afternoon slot when you haven't anything to do. It IS, interestingly worth seeing alone perhaps for McCallum playing an out-of-character villain, with a cockney accent of sorts, something not seen a lot of in his career, the only other one offhand I can think of for him was 'Violent Playground'. Although Cope's played 'wrong-uns' he plays a good role as just that. Worth also of note, McCallum's then-wife Jill Ireland starring as the 'girl in the picture'. Pretty lame ending but the one you couldn't do much with, well, they couldn't here!
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