rogerjillings Reviews

The Shakedown (1960)

seedy racketeer falls foul of police

[7/10 · 5 February 2006]

Fascinating & slightly risqué B-pic with a good edge to it,Augie Cortona(Terrace Morgan) is release from prison & sets about reclaiming his underworld business from his former henchmen & colleague Gollar(Harry H Corbett) who's taken control of his protection & prostitution racket & left Augie out in the cold until he bumps into out of work photographer Jessup Brown(Donald Pleasance).The two of them Set up in business as a high class agency which is a front for Augie's blackmailing activities in which Jessup get caught up in the corruption which leads him to drink,one is not what she appears to be & Augie soon becomes attractive to her & along with Augie's sidekick Spettigue, Gollar is sorted out with beatings being dispatched & life's fine for Augie. With nightclubs & small racketeers the police are hot on his heels, this film hit the spot well,with pretty Hazel Court.

The Big Heat (1953)

cop seek's revenge on Mobster's in this film noir classic

[9/10 · 9 May 2005]

Classic thriller of a former police officer determination to bring to justice police corruption & mobster racketeer's such as Mike Lugana who think there above the law,Det.Sgt Dave Bannion(Glenn Ford)while investigating a apparent suicide & later that of a woman who frequented a night club called the Retreat he comes across corruption,with no help from his superior's who tell him to drop the case where upon a booby trap explodes which was meant for him but has dire consequence's for someone close to him & quit's the force to track down the hoodlum's,he meet's Debby Marsh(Gloria Grahame)the friend of Vince Stone(Lee Marvin)Lugana's hence-man who befriends him & that's a big mistake.Bannion's child is protected by his friend's,leaving the way to deal with ill mannered bar staff,lowlife & a grieving money grasping widow along with coffee scolding & gritty dialogue it boils down to the final showdown.

Triple Deception (1956)

ship's officer takes identity of crook to uncover counterfeiting gang in espionage thriller.

[6/10 · 25 April 2005]

The film that made Michael Craig is a well paced colourful crime thriller shot in the location of Paris where Craig is mistakenly taken for a known smuggler who he resembles quite uncannily & is persuaded to go under-cover to infiltrate a counterfeiting organisation & also keep his cover with his smuggling colleagues.Apart from falling for the same local cabaret singer (Julia Arnall)who the real Steve Chancellor was enmeshed with, & the double crossing begins & along the way he struggle's to get to the truth until the climatic finale to unmask the ring leaders which include Brenda De Banzie & the ice cool menace of Anton Diffring.

Lady in the Lake (1946)

private eye searches for missing wife in classic film noir.

[9/10 · 10 April 2005]

Robert Montgomery direct & play Philip Marlowe in this classic film noir where the camera is the eye's of Marlowe through out the film until you see his face later on in brief opening & closing sequences of this clever technique,in this he's searching for a missing wife,he's hired by the wife's husband's secretary the sultry Adrienne Fromsett(Audrey Totter)who he meet's while trying to sell his stories to a magazine establishment.Soon enough the punches fly & the deception begin as he manoeuvre's around to get to the truth where people

aren't what they seem as well as the police who don't like a private eye snooping on their patch & their residents, the movie teems with surprises with the usual gritty dialogue as well as the lowlife & of course the lady in distress.

Experiment in Terror (1962)

bank teller forced to steal from unknown assailant

[7/10 · 7 April 2005]

Glossy thriller concerning pretty bank teller Kelly Sherwood(Lee Remick)who's coerced into embezzling $100,000 by a unseen asthmatic killer who will threaten to kill her young sister Toby(Stephanie Powers)unless she agree's to the demands,F.B.I agent John Ripley(Glenn Ford)is assigned to protect them & foil the blackmailer.Atmoshphic tension build's through out the film as the bank teller is under scrutiny by the assailant at all times & watching her every move & a game of cat & mouse is played out.which heighten the suspense right to the nerve-racking conclusion.Blake Edwards bird eye camera view direction add to the paranoia.

The Good Die Young (1954)

crime takes place & tension take's over the gang.

[7/10 · 6 April 2005]

A well crafted heist thriller of the old school with the message of crime doesn't pay about a quartet of ne'er-do-wells who's stories are told in flashbacks then culminates in the daring crime which in turns leads to divisions amongst them.The leader is Miles(Rave)Ravenscourt(Laurence Harvey)who's at his gleefully sneering best with a host of well known faces(Baker,Basehart&John Ireland,there's also a young Joan Collins as Basehart's wife along with Gloria Grahame who's wonderful as a spoilt married woman to one of the gang.Full of action towards the end especially the underground scenes,the cast includes Margaret Leighton who was Harvey's real life wife.

Gone to Earth (1950)

Superstitious gypsy lives with nature & fox in harmony.

[10/10 · 6 April 2005]

Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's weird & wonderful film of a young Shopshire superstitious gypsy Hazel Woods(Jennifer Jones) who is at ease with nature & lives with her pet fox(foxy) & her Father away from the local community,full of Celtic symbolism & myth.This is how she lives until the Minister(Cyril Cusack) comes calling & eventually marry where upon she pursued by the local fox hunting squire Jack Reddin(David Farrer) & try's to resolve her problem by her Mother's book of spells & end's up with the squire only to see the error of her way's & desperately tries to get back to the pastor with her fox in tow,only for a twist of fate to intervene mixed with irony.Nice photography & shot in Techicolour & a haunting music score.Jennifer Jones regional accent enhances her beauty & charm to this film.

Portrait of Jennie (1948)

Surreal fantasy of love & emotion

[9/10 · 5 April 2005]

David O'Selznick produced this flashback romantic fantasy for his wife to be Jennifer Jones who as Jennie encounters artist Eben(Joseph Cotton) in the park,Jennie at this time is a young lady who talks about life & the eternal questions which fascinates Eben & he sketches her,she soon disappears until they meet again,this time she's a young woman & persuades her to sit for a portrait which seems to inspire his passion for her, again she disappears.Did she really exist or not, until he discovers the truth & try to stop the inevitable fate that awaits her out to sea where he hopes to be reunited with her.nicely played by whole cast which includes Cecil Kellaway & Ethel Barrymore.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Drifter gets involved with wife& trouble comes along.

[10/10 · 5 April 2005]

This classic will never be equalled based on James m Cain novel because of the chemistry between the stars Lana Turner & John Garfield,the film seethe with passion,hate,jealousy & revenge.Drifter Frank(Garfield)stops at a roadside diner where he's offered a job by the owner & meets his wife the voluptuous Cora(Turner),sparks soon fly between them.The provocative Cora intends to run of with Frank buts also wants the diner,problem is the husband so murder is on their minds,interest by the law is always near by & culminates in a great performance by their legal ally to clear their names,lots of double crosses along the way lead to the final irony.A film noir of the first class with great acting all round.

Wild River (1960)

Old fashion morals of progress against change,human drama

[8/10 · 31 March 2005]

In 1934 field administrator chuck glover(Montgomery Cliff working for the Tennessee Valley Authority is dispatched to oversee clearance of land & property which will soon be flooded but a stubborn landowner refuse to leave while widow granddaughter(Lee Remick) falls for him.There's trouble along the way when he hire's the local coloured work force to work along side the white counterparts which the townsfolk aren't impressed by, especially by his liberal views.the grandmother (Jo Van Fleet) soon moves out leaving Cliff & Remick to marry & leave with her 2 children to a better life.Great location area shot with opulent flavour,nicely directed by Elia Kazan & nicely acted all round.

The Running Man (1963)

insurance swindle that goes wrong,on the run in Spain

[7/10 · 21 March 2005]

excellent thriller about man and wife who plan a scam to swindle the insurance company for a large amount of money after being turned down after a legitimate claim was turn down earlier and the deception begins and they go on the run in Spain where life's fine until the insurance man turns up in the same places, thats where the fun and tension begins.there's great camera work & direction by carol reed and a edgy script by john Mortimer,lots of colour and location works very well as does the three actors,Harvey is at his reptilian and charming best with Remick quite stunning as the not so wife and bates as the dogged insurance man.a delightful diverting film for a Sunday afternoon.