Paul Gregory is sprung from jail in London by his accomplice after getting a stretch as expected for robbing a woman who falls for his charms. Only he knows how to get to the money, but his partner is getting greedy and as things turn sour Gregory finds that home in Canada is a long way away.
If this film had been made in 1950s France by Directors named Clouzot or Melville, this Ealing production would be a regular on the revival circuit and in film school classrooms. Sadly, it is a completely unheralded film. Directed expertly by Seth Holt who co-wrote the film with critic Kenneth Tynan. The film features an on his way to Europe George Nader as an American con man in London, looking to score by stealing a valuable coin collection (the owner is played by American expatriate and silent film star Bessie Love.
His companion in the crime is the docile Bernard Lee, and there are double crosses and dirty dealings aplenty. The star of the film is Paul Beeson's amazing cinematography, always artistic but never too showy. Beeson also did sterling work for Ealing's The Shiralee (1957) and it is hard to understand how his career ended up on the Harry Alan Towers scrap heap. Dizzy Reece's outstanding jazz score (his only film work) fits the story like a glove and Maggie Smith makes her film debut as Nader's love interest. This is a great film and a true work of art!
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