The Deadly Game (1954) User Reviews

Too slow at the start

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 28 May 2021]

THIRD PARTY RISK (1954, aka THE DEADLY GAME) is another of Hammer's crime thrillers of the mid 1950s, this time one with a continental setting although most of the action takes place in dingy Bray Studios interiors. Imported American star Lloyd Bridges (whose offspring I think are much better actors) plays a war veteran whose old buddy asks him to drive his car back to London and also deliver a valuable envelope at the same time. When the same buddy turns up murdered, our star finds himself thrown into the thick of a sinister plot...

It's strictly routine stuff, of the kind enlivened by a typically decent Hammer supporting cast: you'll see the likes of George Woodbridge, Ferdy Mayne and Roger Delgado pop up here, the latter NOT playing a villain which makes a nice change; rather, he's the cop on the case. The main problem with this one is that despite the shortness of the running time it takes an age to get going, so that all of the fisticuffs and excitement feels rushed at the climax; more 'oomph' earlier on would have worked wonders.

Deadly Boring

[boblipton · 4/10 · 30 May 2020]

Lloyd Bridges is touring in Spain, trying to get over the death of his wife. He runs into Peter Dynely, a war buddy from the RAF. They have a few drinks in between Dynely's unspecified business meetings, Dynely introduces Bridges to some friends, including Finlay Currie and Maureen Swanson, and lends him his car to drive back to London. Then he disappears. Bridges tries to interest the authorities, but they hint at something dark.

I enjoy movies that take their time getting to shooting match, but there needs to be a sense of progress, either towards chaos or a solution... or at least some diverting incidents or scenery. This movie doesn't work out that way. It's 63 minutes in length, and it isn't until more than halfway through that Dynely's disappearance is established, and then another 25 before anything significant happens. While there's some good scenery, including Miss Swanson, Spain consists of Bray Studios with a couple of medium long shots from the library. It's another unfortunately underwritten movie with a director -- Daniel Birt -- who seems unable to come up with ways of making the time pass more interestingly.

Average thriller saved by a future comedian.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 28 May 2013]

After Lloyd Bridges is mugged on his way back from dropping an old buddy off at a Spanish airport, you almost expect to hear him mutter, "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop drinking!". Like Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves, his serious co-stars from the 1980 comic masterpiece "Airplane!", he started off as a dramatic actor, one in his case that was often action packed. Here, he gets more than he bargained for when he meets this old acquaintance by chance in Spain and ends up in an espionage-filled adventure surrounding that old spy plot favorite-microfilm. Taking him from Spain to London and back to Spain again, this film is predictable, giving a Spanish version of Sydney Greenstreet into the mix, an exciting fire sequence, and a Mardi-Gras like festival where the villain attempts an originally unique escape. Refreshingly short, it highly resembles an early TV movie with its commercial-like break fadeouts and sometimes preposterous plot twists.

And the viewer's risk too !!

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8 July 2012]

A total waste of time this little film. A sort of espionage, intrigue drama, very talkative, boring, sleepy at the most. I don't know the director and I don't intend to get further in that field. We have already seen tons of this kind of rare crap, where the actors play only to pay their bills. I won't repeat the plot; have already forgotten it.

Only Lloyd Bridges may save this tepid programmer, but for the rest of it, forget the whole thing.

Unfortunately, some European and American productions mixed together in the late fifties and early sixties seldom gave us this kind of features. And we have to deal with it, or watch them while pressing the fast forward button or switch the TV set off.

Deadly Game/Big Deadly Game/Third Party Risk!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 17 October 2017]

On the same excellent VCI DVD for "The Black Glove" (also known as "Face the Music"), Lloyd Bridges stars in the 64-minutes USA cut- down (variously titled "Deadly Game" and "The Big Deadly Game") of Hammer's 70-minutes 1955 U.K. release, "Third Party Risk".

On the U.S.A. poster, fourth-billed Simone Silva is presented as Bridges' co-star. This was her second-last film. (In her next and last release, another "B" entry, namely Terence Fisher/Francis Searle's "The Gelignite Gang" (U.K.)/"The Dynamiters" (U.S.A.) (1955), she plays a nightclub singer and is billed fourteenth).

In the cut-down pic, re-titled "Deadly Game", Simone deserves her second billing, as Finlay Currie is hardly in the movie at all and Maureen Swanson has even less footage. Daniel Birt directs efficiently, photography is attractive and the pace fast; but it's a minor film with a foregone plot.

If you can't spot the villain in the first five minutes and work out what he or she is up to, you haven't seen many movies.

P.S. I don't know about you, but I find all these title name changes confusing. I have got all of them right, but it was an effort. So no more for the time being. All DVDs with multi title changes will stay in the cupboard!

See It On A Film Print Makes A World Of Difference!

[vilenciaproductions · 10/10 · 10 June 2021]

Last night we projected a beautiful 16mm print of The Deadly Game on the big screen! I think that seeing a motion picture on a film print projected on a large screen makes all the difference in the world! In the first place the print we ran was made in 1954 the year of the films release and was used here in the USA for television exchange. The picture and sound quality was a perfect as you can get. I have seen this print projected a few times over the years but not since 2018! I was surprised to see how many people didn't like this 1950's picture? Even seeing a DVD from a pristine source still can't compare to a real (or should I say Reel) film experience! There is something that digital can't even come close to the actual motion picture film presentation. It's a short picture under 70 minutes which is good! I liked everything about this old picture! It is still better than the garbage that is made today in 2021! (the year of our Covid-19) Besides we grew up seeing "Sea Hunt" in rerun her is Southern California in the late 1960's on afternoon TV! We enjoyed Lloyd Bridges in that show he will always be Mike Nelson to us kids who loved that old TV show! I don't know what happened to all 155 episodes shot in 35mm film but I am sure they have been left to decompose in a vault in Hollywood someplace, or even tossed by stupid ZIV TV! The Deadly Game is a fine little picture from Hammer Productions and it's ten stars from me, just because unlike movies today, there are no computers - cell phones - foul language - people covered with stupid tattoos - women with different colored hair - horrible loud rap / rock / country music! You name it, the 1950's was a better time in America and the world! Now the world is a piece of trash! I would take any movie from these times over anything made in the last 40 plus years! And television now is complete garbage! So kick back with a beer, and don't these old movies to serious, they were made to entertain and sell a movie ticket to play back the production costs! It's a product like a candy bar! There are classic films like "High Noon" and then there are these little B flicks, so enjoy! Got my second Pfizer shot yesterday and I feel like crap! Just Don't Do IT! This may be my last review! Goodbye cruel reviews on IMDB!

Burning Bridges

[cutterccbaxter · 16 April 2024]

Lloyd Bridges plays a character who likes to record music featuring castanets on a reel to reel in The Deadly Game. While in Spain - the castanets capital of the world - he meets an old war buddy (Tony) who runs a successful photography/blackmail/industrial espionage business. Tony's occupation isn't without its risks and he ends up dead after stealing some kind of formula from Big Pharma.

I'm not sure if I got the plot right but it doesn't really matter because we know Lloyd, with the help of local law enforcement, will catch the bad guys and end up with the cute brunette.

Lloyd gets knocked out early on the film. Having the hero get conked on the noggin' seems to be an on going theme in these Lippert/Hammer productions. It's my understanding that Lippert (an American) insisted on having an American play the lead in their joint ventures. Hammer must have said: "Okay fine, as long as they get hit on the head in each film."