He’s third-billed and comes on late, but soon-to-be 007 Sean Connery overwhelms everything else on screen in this mob drama. (The opening credits promises Brit Noir, but the sequence proves a stand-alone, all but unrelated to anything that follows.) Herbert Lom has the ostensible lead as a high-flying London financial consultant who also cooks books for Alfred Marks' small-time protection racket. Why not stop fighting your competitors and start working with them as one big protection racket operation, asks Lom. Think of the savings. Think of the growth opportunities. A sure win-win. Enter Connery, a cat burglar who needs a fast score after his second-story man takes a fall, the perfect enforcer for Lom’s new consortium. But when Connery unknowingly arranges a ‘hit,’ he turns on Lom’s overextended outfit just as the police are closing in. Not a bad set up for a violent London underworld thriller, no? Don’t you believe it. Under John Lemont’s coy megging this low-budget mediocrity lacks everything: pace, style, action chops. Only Connery makes a mark, in fighting trim even with bad hair and an off-the-rack suit. Connery had looked ready for bigger things since DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE back in ‘59, but it took next year’s DR. NO to seal the deal.
DOUBLE-BILL: A late urban crime pic from Republic like CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS/’53 matches up and is nearly as crummy. (Frankly, I wouldn’t bother with either.)
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