Gizmo This is a cracking little thriller with so much going for it: a huge and wonderfully detailed period reconstruction of a foggy London neighbourhood (in a studio in California), Bernard Herrman's thunderous score, the still-chilling bonfire night scene and inferno-like ending, and constantly eerie, inventive and propulsive photography that could just as easily have come from Citizen Kane or Strangers On A Train. It also features one of the best opening scenes I've seen, with the camera swooping up from the cobbled streets, swiftly through an upstairs window and into the eyes of a first person shooter taking someone's life - Hardcore Henry 70 years before its time. I knew I'd seen Laird Cregar, the lead in the film, before and wondered what became of him later, only to discover that this was in fact his last film, released two months after his death at the age of 31. A soft, hazy and monstrous performance in the lumbering body of a gamma-radiated Oscar Wilde.The film somehow falls maybe just one small step short of true greatness, and it's hard to say why - perhaps Laird is not likeable or compelling enough, or one is not made to care enough for any of the characters - but certainly it's as good as many of Hitchcock's second-tier films, such as Rope (written by the same author, incidentally) and really deserves to be much better known.

vincentlynch-moonoi There are two remarkable actors in this film. Laird Cregar -- whom I had never heard of -- is brilliant here. This movie belongs to him...his performance is scintillating! And, so that the heavy could play a romantic, yet murderous part, he quickly lost 100 pounds before making the film, and died before it was released! The other remarkable performance in this film is by Linda Darnell...in my opinion, remarkably bad. I had just seen her the previous night opposite Tyrone Power, and she was quite good. But here, stinko! And that's the remarkable thing about this film. Cregar is soooooo good, that you easily overlook the poor performance by Darnell. It's a gripping film that is not unlike "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde", but perhaps even better. Here, Cregar plays a composer who has amnesia attacks during which he often kills someone. A wonderful girl is in love with him, but he falls for a cheap pop singer who only wants to use him. Of course, we all know where this is going. And, indeed, he does kill Darnell...and the viewer is glad of it. Cregar is able to gain incredible sympathy while playing a serial murderer! The other performance worth watching here is by George Sanders, who is excellent as a detective from Scotland Yard. You can't help but wish that he was on screen more.This rates a very high, solid 7 for me, and is well worth a watch and a place on your video shelf, particularly if you like old thrillers.

Lawson Hangover Square features the story of a pianist with a dual personality who murders people who offends him. Pity the poor singer who uses him to write her music and dumps him to marry a rich man. The movie is remarkable for its performances. The gorgeous Linda Darnell vamps it up as a woman determined to get rich and famous, but the standout is Laird Cregar, who apparently lost so much weight for this last movie role that he died soon after. He effectively alternated between pushover and insane, playing the latter emotion especially well, particularly in the last scene in which he had to finish his concerto.

bob_gilmore1 While RKO had Val Lewton and his psychological classic like "The Seventh Victim" and "Cat People" Fox had John Brahm, a much underrated director most famous for "The Lodger" a study of Jack The Ripper that also starred this film's leading man, Laird Cregor. For my money both Brahm and Cregor top themselves in this very similarly textured thriller about a classical pianist that suffers from a split personality. The bad news for him and those around him is that when he slips into "blackouts" that he takes the lives of those around him that he has disagreements with. There is no doubt that the success of "The Lodger" prompted Fox to re-teem the director with the star and also bring back George Sanders for a much similar role. This time rather than Scotland Yard detective Sanders plays a police alienist who Brahm initially seeks out when he has reason to believe that he has committed murder during one of the "missing time" intervals.Set in 19th century London, the film benefits from brooding atmosphere and a set peculiarity. It seems that the film is set while London engineers are digging up the streets to lay new sewer pipes and the presence up the upturned earth and pipes laying about creates a near documentary feeling. Recently released by Fox alongside "The Lodger" and another Brahm feature this set is a great bargain and should be snatched up before it vanishes from stores.