As a movie in its own right, 'Pool Of London' is no great shakes. It's just a simple tale of botched heist and careless tongues. Curious, coming so soon after the war, when all were reminded that it cost lives.
American-looking Bonar Colleano plays the sailor stooge who gets into water too deep to fathom. There are femme-fatale girlfriends not to be trusted too, and soon the cops and villains alike are on his case. There are no clever plot twists and nothing very imaginative in its technical issues of lighting or editing etc. The jewel heist looks like a feeble blueprint for the likes of later 'Topkapi' etc.
Where this movie scores highest is in its delightful preservation of a post-war turn-of-the-1950's London and the lives, attitudes and morals manifest by the people of that time. Pre-eminent (I think) is the shock-horror attitude to murder; today it wouldn't raise an eyebrow. The movie is well worth watching for this reason alone. But I don't think the makers ever intended it as a time-capsule, and therefore shouldn't gain extra points for being one.
Taken as a straightforward and not particularly imaginative heist movie, this is only just above average.
American-looking Bonar Colleano plays the sailor stooge who gets into water too deep to fathom. There are femme-fatale girlfriends not to be trusted too, and soon the cops and villains alike are on his case. There are no clever plot twists and nothing very imaginative in its technical issues of lighting or editing etc. The jewel heist looks like a feeble blueprint for the likes of later 'Topkapi' etc.
Where this movie scores highest is in its delightful preservation of a post-war turn-of-the-1950's London and the lives, attitudes and morals manifest by the people of that time. Pre-eminent (I think) is the shock-horror attitude to murder; today it wouldn't raise an eyebrow. The movie is well worth watching for this reason alone. But I don't think the makers ever intended it as a time-capsule, and therefore shouldn't gain extra points for being one.
Taken as a straightforward and not particularly imaginative heist movie, this is only just above average.