One Way Out

I'll admit that Jill Adams is a very lovely lady and that this tightly budgeted British "B" movie is well acted by almost all its players, and that it is capably directed and that it moderately holds the viewer's interest over its one-hour running time. But with tens of thousands of much more exciting movies to choose from, why go to all the trouble and expense of issuing this small-time British quota quickie on an American DVD? Even in Britain itself, the Jill Adams fan club (if there ever was such a fan club – which I strongly doubt) held its annual meetings during the lunch hour at her agent's office. And in this movie, for all Jill's attractive looks and undeniable charisma, she is easily outclassed by other players including Lyndon Brook (misspelled "Brooke" on the DVD), John Chandos and even Eddie Byrne (who is actually the number one star of this movie, even if he is not so much as mentioned on the back cover art and blurb of the well-executed VintageFilmBuff DVD).

Eddie Byrne is about to retire as a police superintendent, but a clue points to finally nailing crime boss John Chandos before he does. Chandos tries to bribe him, but to no avail. So a plan is worked out to frame Byrne's daughter, Jill Adams in a robbery that has a man shot. I found the story a bit contrived, and Miss Adams' situation in reality much easier than the movie seemed to insist on. Perhaps that's a matter of not believing in the incorruptibility of policemen and the lack of a 'blue wall' that the script supposes. The production winds up looking hurried and cheap, with a street sequence as Miss Adams walks past newspaper headlines fuzzy and poorly matched to the rest of the movie. Perhaps it was a stolen shot.

A very short movie with low production standards, but a story worthy of Shakespeare. It's a profound tragedy played in standard cops and robbers costume. Quick, somebody buy this story and do a modern remake! A policeman faced with deep moral choices finds that once he's set foot on the path of corruption he is trapped by an ever more complex web of lies and intrigue. A lifetime of personal honor is at stake and we wonder if redemption is possible. All is revealed in a dramatic ending. Anyone able to sit still and concentrate for just an hour will be thoroughly rewarded. The ending is indeed sudden and possibly surprising, but not hard to understand.

A girl gets herself hooked up in with a bunch of crooks, and gets the rap for a crime she did not commit. Her father is a retiring policeman who finds out about the crime, and goes against his morals to hatch an elaborate plan to cover his daughter. Well acted and interesting, but very short, and the abrupt ending will leave you going "what the?"