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The Criminal

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6.4/10 • 38

1960-09-131h 37m

Crime

The toughest picture ever made in Britain!

When a robbery at a racetrack goes wrong ex-con Johnny Bannion is caught and sent back to prison. He won't tell the rest of the gang where he has stashed the loot leading to violent consequences.

Directors
Joseph Losey
Editors
Reginald Mills

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Stanley Baker

    Stanley Baker

    Johnny Bannion

  2. Sam Wanamaker

    Sam Wanamaker

    Mike Carter

  3. Grégoire Aslan

    Grégoire Aslan

    Frank Saffron

  4. Margit Saad

    Margit Saad

    Suzanne

  5. Jill Bennett

    Jill Bennett

    Maggie

  6. Rupert Davies

    Rupert Davies

    Edwards

  7. Laurence Naismith

    Laurence Naismith

    Mr. Town

  8. John Van Eyssen

    John Van Eyssen

    Formby

  9. Noel Willman

    Noel Willman

    Prison Governor

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Feb 27, 2023

7/10

Stanley Baker is effective here as the smart-assed hoodlum "Bannion". Recently released from prison he and some associates cleverly devise a plan to relieve a race track of it's £40,000 takings. He hides the loot in a remote field but his cockiness leads the police easily to his door. Re-incarcerated, he soon finds that it's not just the police, but his erstwhile colleagues - led by the no-nonsense "Carter" (Sam Wanamaker) who want the money! Things are distinctly dangerous for the man behind bars and so getting out quickly and retrieving his loot becomes the order of the day. Joseph Losey paces his direction well here and has assembled a strong cast of supporting characters - not least Patrick Magee as the shrewd and ruthless prison warder "Barrows" and Grégoire Aslan as the duplicitous "Saffron", as this story of greed and brutality gradually edges towards a denouement that is exciting and - to a considerable extent - rather fitting. It's maybe a bit wordy at times but Baker manages to exude a sort of nastiness/decency combination that works well for ninety minutes. It is well worth a watch and is better than many in this British noir genre of the late 1950s.

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  • The Criminal poster
  • The Criminal poster
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  • The Criminal poster
  • The Criminal poster
  • The Criminal poster
  • The Criminal poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
robberyb movieracetrackbritish noir