John Ford, the esteemed director, worked in many film genres but up until this film he had never done a Cops and Robbers movie.
In this one, he takes us on a "typical" day of a Scotland Yard Inspector in which we get a view of his private life as well as his professional.
In fact if Gideon's Day is "typical", what is dull? Chief Inspector George Gideon catches a double murderer, a single murderer, a robber, suspends a crooked cop, and ends the day catching three men who break into a vault and murder the guard(not related to the other 2 murderers he catches).
John Ford who usually takes his time in telling a story, uses a much faster pace than he is accustomed to in most of his narratives. And if it doesn't work to perfection in this film, it still is enjoyable due to some of the characterizations.
Jack Hawkins is perfectly British as Gideon. He seems to be constantly in a dither, but in the end he is the consummate cop, tough, sensitive and smart.
Ford uses a large cast and many characters and they play off Hawkins as if they were on a lark. T E B Clark's story has moments of comedy, drama and pathos.
Most critics consider "Gideon's Day"(or "Gideon of Scotland Yard" as it is known here) to be beneath the standards of one of the great directors in film history. There is no question that this is true. However, If you watch it as a straight cops and robbers film and forget that Ford was at the helm, this one is a pretty good one
In this one, he takes us on a "typical" day of a Scotland Yard Inspector in which we get a view of his private life as well as his professional.
In fact if Gideon's Day is "typical", what is dull? Chief Inspector George Gideon catches a double murderer, a single murderer, a robber, suspends a crooked cop, and ends the day catching three men who break into a vault and murder the guard(not related to the other 2 murderers he catches).
John Ford who usually takes his time in telling a story, uses a much faster pace than he is accustomed to in most of his narratives. And if it doesn't work to perfection in this film, it still is enjoyable due to some of the characterizations.
Jack Hawkins is perfectly British as Gideon. He seems to be constantly in a dither, but in the end he is the consummate cop, tough, sensitive and smart.
Ford uses a large cast and many characters and they play off Hawkins as if they were on a lark. T E B Clark's story has moments of comedy, drama and pathos.
Most critics consider "Gideon's Day"(or "Gideon of Scotland Yard" as it is known here) to be beneath the standards of one of the great directors in film history. There is no question that this is true. However, If you watch it as a straight cops and robbers film and forget that Ford was at the helm, this one is a pretty good one