hwg1957-102-265704 A suicidal man is persuaded to lead a new life as a cover for a criminal with the proviso that at the end of 18 months he will be killed so that his body will be mistaken for the criminal who will escape abroad. His motive for agreeing is that a lot of money will go to his young daughter from whom he is estranged. An interesting plot that twists and turns until the end. It keeps one watching and it comes in at just under the hour so there is not much filler thankfully.Robert Ayres as the suicidal man is not that interesting unfortunately but Alan Wheatley and Bruce Seton as the villains are excellent. They play off each other very well and their scenes are the best in the film. Michael Balfour plays a cheerful Cockney, a role he often did but seldom badly. June Thorburn is radiant as always but only has a minor role as the romantic interest.It is a pleasant enough viewing experience.

howardmorley I rated this film 5/10 being an average "B" film often shown in British cinemas in the 1950s before the big feature.I have a specialist DVD dealer in north London who specialises in these vintage films from the 1930s/40s/50s etc. with whom I trade occasionally.I was saddened years ago to read that the late June Thorburn died prematurely in a flying accident and was anxious to see her.Additionally I was intrigued to see this DVD had a performance by Robert Ayers who amongst other roles played Arthur Peuchen (commodore of the Royal Yacht club in Canada) who appeared in "A Night to Remember" (1958) and who was on board the "Titanic".As they were short of seamen to man one of the lifeboats, an officer asked if there was anyone with boat experience.Peuchen said "I am a yachtsman, I will go if you like" and Peuchen saved himself by shinning down the falls to the lifeboat waiting below.Of course Alan Wheatley plays his usual suave villainous character.Who can forget his performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1950s children's TV series, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Richard Greene. This film ends prematurely and the plot is confusing and not properly explained to the viewer.Maybe the running time had to be edited, hence my average rating.

Cicerosaurus If you can get over the rather ridiculous plot line, the film holds interest quite well. That said, it only runs for an hour- which is probably just as well. Of the main players, Ayers is very stiff and (I found) to be an unappealing character. It is difficult to generate much sympathy when you wander through the movie in a perpetual bad mood Bruce Seaton and Alan Wheatley give professional performances and there is the lovely June Thorburn to add gloomier. Thorburn only appears half way through (more the pity) and her character is hardly developed at all. For all the faults of the movie, it is a pleasant enough time filler. Of particular interest is the background of how things were in the 50s(I imagine it was shot in London somewhere).

pmhoward This movie starts off with an interesting premise. Its a sort of mystery, crime drama( Why would a man agree to be bumped of on time payment??). You wonder how its going to sort itself out. I found the acting a bit stilted. Overall quite watchable.