i came across this old gem a couple of years back and taped it off the t.v. It's an old black and white bank robbery film. The robbers plan a one-off bank robbery, but it doesn't quite go to plan after they lock two hostages in a safe. Their guilty consciences get the better of them, and they return to the scene. Simple, exciting tale that i can watch time and again.
33 Reviews
Tension and Claustrophobia in black and white
craig_chappell25 April 2006
This is not a good film to watch if you suffer from claustrophobia. It's a little gem produced in the early sixties and usually tucked away in the early hours of the morning. There were many of these B movies produced in the 50s and 60s and most are quickly forgotten. However this one stands out. Derren Nesbitt makes for a convincing baddie bringing his particular brand of menace to the role. Colin Gordon plays it with a very stiff upper lip and Ann Lynn provides the glamour. Despite being just over an hour long it packs a useful punch and sustains the tension through to the end. Watch it with the door open and a glass of cold water to hand.
Superior British "B" Noir.
hitchcockthelegend24 May 2014
Strongroom is directed by Vernon Sewell and written by Max Marquis and Richard Harris. It stars Derren Nesbit, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner and W. Morgan Sheppard. Music is by Johnny Gregory and cinematography by Basil Emmott.
Three men enact a bank robbery and lock up the manager and his secretary in the vault. Upon making their getaway it dawns on them that the two in the vault could die from lack of oxygen and thus landing them as murderers should they be caught...
Every once in a while a "quota quickie" or "B" crime movie really strides out on its own to stand tall and proud, Strongroom is one such film. Originally the support feature to the George Chakiris film Two and Two Make Six, Sewell's picture went down well enough with the public that it often became the main feature in some theatres.
Compact at just 80 minutes in length, it's a picture heavy on claustrophobia and thematic stings, embracing that old noir devil of fate along the way. It's directed in a tight no-nonsense way by Sewell, who manages to keep things moving without it being at cost to nail biting suspense. Well performed by all involved, it's a film that never once cops out, right up to, and including, the quite brilliant finale. 8/10
Three men enact a bank robbery and lock up the manager and his secretary in the vault. Upon making their getaway it dawns on them that the two in the vault could die from lack of oxygen and thus landing them as murderers should they be caught...
Every once in a while a "quota quickie" or "B" crime movie really strides out on its own to stand tall and proud, Strongroom is one such film. Originally the support feature to the George Chakiris film Two and Two Make Six, Sewell's picture went down well enough with the public that it often became the main feature in some theatres.
Compact at just 80 minutes in length, it's a picture heavy on claustrophobia and thematic stings, embracing that old noir devil of fate along the way. It's directed in a tight no-nonsense way by Sewell, who manages to keep things moving without it being at cost to nail biting suspense. Well performed by all involved, it's a film that never once cops out, right up to, and including, the quite brilliant finale. 8/10
Tense thriller
Leofwine_draca4 December 2015
STRONGROOM is a simple and straightforward thriller that manages to pack oodles of tension into its brief running time. It was helmed by B-movie maestro Vernon Sewell who had a long career throughout the 1940s and beyond making B-movie thrillers before ending his career in schlock horror with the likes of CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTER and BURKE & HARE.
This tale is a simple one about the usual bank robber antiheroes who rob a bank and lock a couple of employees in a vault. However, the twists of the plot mean that they quickly realise that the employees will die if they don't rescue them, and this against-the-clock tale unfolds alongside a typical police procedural investigation.
STRONGROOM benefits from a compelling performance from Derren Nesbitt as the chief robber; he brings a ruthless, sweaty streak to the role and makes this quite compulsive watching. And there's always plenty of suspense to be had from a "running out of air" storyline such as this; the ending is particularly strong.
This tale is a simple one about the usual bank robber antiheroes who rob a bank and lock a couple of employees in a vault. However, the twists of the plot mean that they quickly realise that the employees will die if they don't rescue them, and this against-the-clock tale unfolds alongside a typical police procedural investigation.
STRONGROOM benefits from a compelling performance from Derren Nesbitt as the chief robber; he brings a ruthless, sweaty streak to the role and makes this quite compulsive watching. And there's always plenty of suspense to be had from a "running out of air" storyline such as this; the ending is particularly strong.
Overlooked Gem!!
ronevickers8 June 2010
"Strongroom" is a classic example of how a supposedly insignificant "B" film, can catch the viewers attention, and hold onto it like a vice. Of many such films produced in the UK, during the mid-50's/early 60's, it is quite probably the best. The story, outlined by other reviewers, is quite novel and the acting is generally top notch, given the film's limited budget. The script, and more importantly the direction, is absolutely first class and Vernon Sewell does an excellent job in cranking up the tension throughout the film. The ending is hard-hitting and unexpected. All-in-all, a super little movie that won't disappoint anyone who seeks it out.
A taut, tense yet simple thriller from the vaults
DPMay24 June 2017
I first read about this film about fifteen years ago, but it never seems to have had a release on the home video market, and it's taken until now before I finally was able to catch one of its rare outings on television.
Considering it was a low budget affair made over fifty years ago, I thought it stood up very well as a tight drama and it managed to hold my interest throughout. But let me be clear: there are no big action scenes, no explosions, no car chases or bouts of fisticuffs in this crime thriller. There's no big crowd scenes and there's not even any incidental music. This is a film which succeeds through its sheer good telling of a story, through good characters, a strong cast and a clever, gradual cranking up of the tension from the very start to the very finish.
The plot is relatively simple: Three crooks (played by Derren Nesbitt, Keith Faulkner and Morgan Sheppard) realise their plan to rob the local bank. To give themselves the best chance of getting far away before the alarm can be raised, they strike just as the bank is about to close up on a Friday evening leading into a holiday weekend where the business isn't due to re-open until the following Tuesday. Hoping to catch the bank manager (Colin Gordon) alone, they have little choice but to execute their plan whilst another staff member (Ann Lynn) is also working late.
Their meticulously-planned scheme works perfectly – almost. Although they get away with the money, an unexpected event means that the crooks have to lock the bank manager and his female assistant into the bank vault (the 'strongroom' of the title) in order to evade immediate detection.
Both the prisoners and the crooks subsequently realise that the air in the sealed vault will be exhausted well in advance of the bank's scheduled re-opening for business. What follows then is a grim tale of humanity as the prisoners desperately seek a way out of their predicament and the crooks have to wrestle with their own consciences as precious time ticks away.
Nesbitt steals the show as the driving force of the villainous trio, a charismatic man who sees himself more as a roguish Robin Hood figure than a genuinely evil person and who meets resistance from his fellow conspirators when he suggests they risk their liberty and their newly acquired riches in order to go back and save the two bank employees from suffocating.
Another highlight is Colin Gordon's performance as the bank manager, a rather stuffy and professional man whom the situation forces to open up to his younger female colleague and also lumbers him with the unwelcome responsibility of trying to play the hero.
The juxtaposition of scenes of desperate plight with others depicting authority figures dallying and dithering plays out like a grim, serious version of Robb Wilton's famous 'fire station' comedy sketch and serves to maintain the tension while the plight of the bank robbers also takes some unexpected twists and turns. Even the very climax has one last crucial contribution to make.
Yes, there are a few things in the film which don't make too much sense. Could Nesbitt's character really not call the police to tip them off that there were people trapped in the vault? Or could he have called somebody else and told them if he was worried about the police tracing the call?
But when the end product is so good, I'm prepared to overlook a few shortcomings. Laced with lots of cameos by some of the best character actors of the day, Strongroom is a stark reminder to modern filmmakers that you don't have to be spectacular to succeed with your audience. I'm so glad this film was let out for air and wasn't kept locked away in a vault where nobody would ever find it again!
Considering it was a low budget affair made over fifty years ago, I thought it stood up very well as a tight drama and it managed to hold my interest throughout. But let me be clear: there are no big action scenes, no explosions, no car chases or bouts of fisticuffs in this crime thriller. There's no big crowd scenes and there's not even any incidental music. This is a film which succeeds through its sheer good telling of a story, through good characters, a strong cast and a clever, gradual cranking up of the tension from the very start to the very finish.
The plot is relatively simple: Three crooks (played by Derren Nesbitt, Keith Faulkner and Morgan Sheppard) realise their plan to rob the local bank. To give themselves the best chance of getting far away before the alarm can be raised, they strike just as the bank is about to close up on a Friday evening leading into a holiday weekend where the business isn't due to re-open until the following Tuesday. Hoping to catch the bank manager (Colin Gordon) alone, they have little choice but to execute their plan whilst another staff member (Ann Lynn) is also working late.
Their meticulously-planned scheme works perfectly – almost. Although they get away with the money, an unexpected event means that the crooks have to lock the bank manager and his female assistant into the bank vault (the 'strongroom' of the title) in order to evade immediate detection.
Both the prisoners and the crooks subsequently realise that the air in the sealed vault will be exhausted well in advance of the bank's scheduled re-opening for business. What follows then is a grim tale of humanity as the prisoners desperately seek a way out of their predicament and the crooks have to wrestle with their own consciences as precious time ticks away.
Nesbitt steals the show as the driving force of the villainous trio, a charismatic man who sees himself more as a roguish Robin Hood figure than a genuinely evil person and who meets resistance from his fellow conspirators when he suggests they risk their liberty and their newly acquired riches in order to go back and save the two bank employees from suffocating.
Another highlight is Colin Gordon's performance as the bank manager, a rather stuffy and professional man whom the situation forces to open up to his younger female colleague and also lumbers him with the unwelcome responsibility of trying to play the hero.
The juxtaposition of scenes of desperate plight with others depicting authority figures dallying and dithering plays out like a grim, serious version of Robb Wilton's famous 'fire station' comedy sketch and serves to maintain the tension while the plight of the bank robbers also takes some unexpected twists and turns. Even the very climax has one last crucial contribution to make.
Yes, there are a few things in the film which don't make too much sense. Could Nesbitt's character really not call the police to tip them off that there were people trapped in the vault? Or could he have called somebody else and told them if he was worried about the police tracing the call?
But when the end product is so good, I'm prepared to overlook a few shortcomings. Laced with lots of cameos by some of the best character actors of the day, Strongroom is a stark reminder to modern filmmakers that you don't have to be spectacular to succeed with your audience. I'm so glad this film was let out for air and wasn't kept locked away in a vault where nobody would ever find it again!
Excellent yet underrated ***SPOILERS***
naseby16 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This crime or film noir from the golden days of British film-making (Yes, the '50's/'60's B-flicks), proves good plot and script, however lesser-known a movie is, is still effective even today.
The two crooks, played by Nesbitt and Faulkner and another hold up a bank - they're not vicious in any real way, however wrong they are. The stuffy bank Manager, Colin Gordon and his secretary played by Ann Lynn are locked in the 'Strongroom' or vault if you want to call it that, by the two crooks, with the intent that they will hand the keys in at a police station and let the cops know the two bank workers are in there - all the time running out of air - but that's excused as it's done and dusted, isn't it, that they will soon be released? Wrong! Faulkner's brother, also a member of the gang is tasked with this - he's seen driving off to do just that, but of course - he has an accident and dies! Faulkner and Nesbitt receive a knock on the door from the police - unknowing of what's happened at this stage, panicking slightly. But then the news of Faulkner's brother's death is given. A little panic of both his brother's death and what'll happen to the bank workers by Faulkner surfaces but he knows he has to keep his mouth shut.
Faulkner has tried to retrieve his brother's belongings angrily as he's promptly told by the police the dead brother's items can't be returned not for weeks - which of course includes the Strongroom keys! The remaining duo decide to get hold of the usual bank busting equipment, Oxycetelene gear etc., and try their best to break through to the suffocating bank workers. In the meantime, an astute person has noted that part of the dead brother's belongings are a Strongroom key, after Faulkner's rantings lead them to suspect something was wrong.
The police then hurry to the bank after contacting an experienced locksmith as to what bank/door it belongs to.
They're about to make their pinch, when the boys tell them that they're trying to free the workers. Reluctant at first, they understand and let them continue - they get the door open - a huge look of relief from them is shown at what appears as the very last scene but at this point their relief is shattered as a police officer states :'This one is DEAD sir!' The look from Nesbitt and Faulkner sums up the impending doom for the pair, as hanging is still a capital offence at that time in the UK. However, it beckons from us up to and after the credits still a legal position that they may get a manslaughter charge - but the film doesn't give them the chance they thought they had.
Excellent and good performances all round and sadly not shown enough.
The two crooks, played by Nesbitt and Faulkner and another hold up a bank - they're not vicious in any real way, however wrong they are. The stuffy bank Manager, Colin Gordon and his secretary played by Ann Lynn are locked in the 'Strongroom' or vault if you want to call it that, by the two crooks, with the intent that they will hand the keys in at a police station and let the cops know the two bank workers are in there - all the time running out of air - but that's excused as it's done and dusted, isn't it, that they will soon be released? Wrong! Faulkner's brother, also a member of the gang is tasked with this - he's seen driving off to do just that, but of course - he has an accident and dies! Faulkner and Nesbitt receive a knock on the door from the police - unknowing of what's happened at this stage, panicking slightly. But then the news of Faulkner's brother's death is given. A little panic of both his brother's death and what'll happen to the bank workers by Faulkner surfaces but he knows he has to keep his mouth shut.
Faulkner has tried to retrieve his brother's belongings angrily as he's promptly told by the police the dead brother's items can't be returned not for weeks - which of course includes the Strongroom keys! The remaining duo decide to get hold of the usual bank busting equipment, Oxycetelene gear etc., and try their best to break through to the suffocating bank workers. In the meantime, an astute person has noted that part of the dead brother's belongings are a Strongroom key, after Faulkner's rantings lead them to suspect something was wrong.
The police then hurry to the bank after contacting an experienced locksmith as to what bank/door it belongs to.
They're about to make their pinch, when the boys tell them that they're trying to free the workers. Reluctant at first, they understand and let them continue - they get the door open - a huge look of relief from them is shown at what appears as the very last scene but at this point their relief is shattered as a police officer states :'This one is DEAD sir!' The look from Nesbitt and Faulkner sums up the impending doom for the pair, as hanging is still a capital offence at that time in the UK. However, it beckons from us up to and after the credits still a legal position that they may get a manslaughter charge - but the film doesn't give them the chance they thought they had.
Excellent and good performances all round and sadly not shown enough.
Some weak moments but it has enough good qualities to stand on its own.
jamesraeburn200323 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Scrap metal merchants, Griff (Derren Nesbitt), Len (Keith Faulkner) and Alec (William Morgan Sheppard) decide to turn to crime for a one off job. They pull a £30,000 raid on a bank on Easter Saturday and lock the manager, Mr Spencer (Colin Gordon) and his secretary, Ms Taylor (Ann Lynn) in the vault. They flee but Griff realises that the pair will not be discovered until Tuesday and as the vault is air tight, they will have suffocated by then. Initially, Len and Alec are uncaring but Griff persuades them that if they do not inform the police they will have a double murder on their hands. They decide that Alec will take Mr Spencer's car out of the area, inform the police anonymously and leave the vault keys in the phone box. Meanwhile, Griff and Len will see to it that the money is put in a safe place. However, in an unfortunate twist of fate, Alec becomes involved in a car crash and dies. Griff and Len are now faced with a dilemma. They go to the mortuary to collect Alec's personal effects, which include the vault keys, but the attendant refuses to break official procedures and will not hand them over without the proper authority. Griff and Len realise that they will have to break back into the bank and cut a hole in the vault door using their cutting equipment from the yard and feed in oxygen through a tube connected to a cannister. But all the while time is running out - fast!
Strongroom was produced as a low budget b-picture but when it opened in the West End, it got such good press that it was elevated to a-feature status. It is not hard to see why as it has enough good qualities to stand on its own. The screenplay by Richard Harris offers several opportunities for suspense and Vernon Sewell's direction certainly rises to the occasion ensuring that the audience is kept on the edge of their seats. Tense moments include the scene in which Griff and Len have broken back into the bank and are busy cutting into the vault door only to be interrupted by two cops. They are seized and about to be dragged off to jail and Griff pleads with them explaining the circumstances. But are his efforts going to be in vain? Is it already too late? The picture does have some weak moments, the scenes between Colin Gordon and Ann Lynn trapped in the safe border on the absurd at times like when Gordon hacks away into the concrete floor of the vault with a pair of scissors and a handle from a cheque perforating machine to expose a sewer pipe, which he hopes to break open to let some air in and he manages it! I found that just a little far fetched but on the whole, Strongroom is better than your average British b-pic especially in terms of the suspense aspect and performances are good all round. Happily the film is now available on DVD.
Strongroom was produced as a low budget b-picture but when it opened in the West End, it got such good press that it was elevated to a-feature status. It is not hard to see why as it has enough good qualities to stand on its own. The screenplay by Richard Harris offers several opportunities for suspense and Vernon Sewell's direction certainly rises to the occasion ensuring that the audience is kept on the edge of their seats. Tense moments include the scene in which Griff and Len have broken back into the bank and are busy cutting into the vault door only to be interrupted by two cops. They are seized and about to be dragged off to jail and Griff pleads with them explaining the circumstances. But are his efforts going to be in vain? Is it already too late? The picture does have some weak moments, the scenes between Colin Gordon and Ann Lynn trapped in the safe border on the absurd at times like when Gordon hacks away into the concrete floor of the vault with a pair of scissors and a handle from a cheque perforating machine to expose a sewer pipe, which he hopes to break open to let some air in and he manages it! I found that just a little far fetched but on the whole, Strongroom is better than your average British b-pic especially in terms of the suspense aspect and performances are good all round. Happily the film is now available on DVD.
Ordinary Decent Criminals
boblipton20 October 2019
Colin Gordon and Ann Lynn are closing up the bank branch for the long Easter weekend, when three masked men enter to rob the bank. When the charwomen enter the bank, they tie them up and gag them, shut them in the vault and sneak out. They are, it turns out, three ordinary, decent criminals in their first (and they hope their only) job. While two of them head off with the money, the other drives to a nearby town, where he will phone the police and leave the vault keys. They'll split 30,000 quid, Gordon and Miss Lynn will have a great story to tell, and everyone will be happy. Then the police come to the door. The third robber was in a road accident and killed. The two survivors work out he hadn't made the call yet, and there's only so much air in the vault. The evidence clerk has the keys, but wont release them.
There are some very useful coincidences in the story, but it's certainly a well told one. Will the two robbers return to the scene of their crime, lest they become murderers? Will they get the trapped people out? Will the police catch on to what they are doing? the result is an exciting one with nice performances and interesting characters.
There are some very useful coincidences in the story, but it's certainly a well told one. Will the two robbers return to the scene of their crime, lest they become murderers? Will they get the trapped people out? Will the police catch on to what they are doing? the result is an exciting one with nice performances and interesting characters.
Bank Holiday bank robbery
Goingbegging25 September 2017
The supreme accolade for a 'B' film is that so many cinemas should choose to show it as a main feature, and it gets translated into at least one foreign language - the case with this production.
You can't help noticing how tiny the budget must have been. Just a handful of modest room-sets, no location work, no special effects, no big-name stars (even Derren Nesbitt was probably not bankable as early as this). Yet its smallness is its strength. We are able to focus on an average English town living the second-division life. A group of three gangsters, somewhat out of their depth, try to exploit the quiet holiday period to pull-off their one and only robbery before going straight. According to plan, one of them bluffs his way into a bank, wearing postman's uniform, before letting-in the other two, and they tie up the manager and his secretary who are alone in the building. But they hadn't thought about the office cleaners who would naturally come on duty at a quiet time like this, so the gang has no choice but to lock their two captives in the strongroom that they've just burgled.
Driving off, they realize that the unfortunate couple will soon run out of air, so they have to devise a plan to enable the cops to get hold of the strongroom keys in time to rescue them. Otherwise the robbery charge they were risking could turn into a murder charge (which could still have meant the gallows in 1962).
This is where the suspense begins, with alternating scenes of the manager and secretary trying to break out of their prison, and the gang trying to engineer their release without giving themselves up. There is great ingenuity in the plotting of this drama, far above the standard 'B'-film level. It is truly involving to watch a mortuary attendant announcing that they'll have to wait for the keys until he gets the coroner's report, while the two captives are only minutes from suffocating. And the same when the manager's friends briefly wonder why such a punctual man should have missed their lunch-date, but eventually decide it's not worth investigating. It is these little sub-plots that drive the story to such effect. But the surprise-ending is too masterly to be disclosed here.
Derren Nesbitt, a dead ringer for Richard Burton, both in looks and in the blend of charm and menace, is brilliantly cast as the dominant gang-member, persuading a nervous young Keith Faulkner not to cut-and-run and just leave the captives to their fate. There is no leading lady in the full sense, but Ann Lynn as the secretary makes the most of her few opportunities. (She was just divorcing Antony Newley at the time, over a little local difficulty called Joan Collins.) The script is generally convincing, except for the gossip between the two young charladies, which comes a little too close to a pastiche of downmarket girlie-chat (though the topical references to consumer advertising are significant), and the mortuary attendant is rather too plodding as the official who insists on following regulations.
You can't help noticing how tiny the budget must have been. Just a handful of modest room-sets, no location work, no special effects, no big-name stars (even Derren Nesbitt was probably not bankable as early as this). Yet its smallness is its strength. We are able to focus on an average English town living the second-division life. A group of three gangsters, somewhat out of their depth, try to exploit the quiet holiday period to pull-off their one and only robbery before going straight. According to plan, one of them bluffs his way into a bank, wearing postman's uniform, before letting-in the other two, and they tie up the manager and his secretary who are alone in the building. But they hadn't thought about the office cleaners who would naturally come on duty at a quiet time like this, so the gang has no choice but to lock their two captives in the strongroom that they've just burgled.
Driving off, they realize that the unfortunate couple will soon run out of air, so they have to devise a plan to enable the cops to get hold of the strongroom keys in time to rescue them. Otherwise the robbery charge they were risking could turn into a murder charge (which could still have meant the gallows in 1962).
This is where the suspense begins, with alternating scenes of the manager and secretary trying to break out of their prison, and the gang trying to engineer their release without giving themselves up. There is great ingenuity in the plotting of this drama, far above the standard 'B'-film level. It is truly involving to watch a mortuary attendant announcing that they'll have to wait for the keys until he gets the coroner's report, while the two captives are only minutes from suffocating. And the same when the manager's friends briefly wonder why such a punctual man should have missed their lunch-date, but eventually decide it's not worth investigating. It is these little sub-plots that drive the story to such effect. But the surprise-ending is too masterly to be disclosed here.
Derren Nesbitt, a dead ringer for Richard Burton, both in looks and in the blend of charm and menace, is brilliantly cast as the dominant gang-member, persuading a nervous young Keith Faulkner not to cut-and-run and just leave the captives to their fate. There is no leading lady in the full sense, but Ann Lynn as the secretary makes the most of her few opportunities. (She was just divorcing Antony Newley at the time, over a little local difficulty called Joan Collins.) The script is generally convincing, except for the gossip between the two young charladies, which comes a little too close to a pastiche of downmarket girlie-chat (though the topical references to consumer advertising are significant), and the mortuary attendant is rather too plodding as the official who insists on following regulations.
No-breathing Room
Lejink26 March 2021
I worked in banking for sixteen years when I was much younger so I've been in a strong room or two before. Never quite worked out why they had to be air-tight in the first place and I'm guessing panic buttons hadn't been thought of yet otherwise there wouldn't have been much of a film here. Not that I'm complaining as it's a pretty nifty one at that.
A low-budget crime thriller, it turns a routine bank robbery by three low-level criminals into a tense race against time due to the gang deciding to lock their two hostages, the stuffy, confirmed bachelor, bank manager, Colin Gordon and his pretty, level-headed female secretary Ann Blyth in the strong room after grabbing the loot, intending to alert the authorities to their rescue once they're in the clear. However, an unexpected and unfortunate twist of fate scuppers their plans and leaves the gang leader, the charismatic Derren Nesbitt, to decide whether or not to take the money and run or listen to his conscience and do the right thing by the innocent hostages.
Directed in a matter-of-fact style, with a noticeable lack of background incidental music to overdramatise an already fraught situation, the director achieves suspense and tension by cleverly cutting back and forth between the key scenes, contrasting the struggle to survive of the fast-fading pair inside the vault with the nervous, quarrelling remaining gang members and the methodical policing in the background.
Sure there are one or two questionable decisions made by the principals which if taken would have seen the film finish within fifteen minutes or so but once you grant this licence to the filmmaker, you can settle down to a gripping contemporary thriller, which ends genuinely surprisingly with a particularly memorable final image. I also like the way the film avoids the use of trite, obvious plot devices, like any hint of romance between the trapped pair.
Nesbitt and Gordon lead the cast well on opposite sides of the fence and Blyth too makes a good impression as young woman with all to live for, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Strongly recommended by Quentin Tarantino in a recent podcast, while I may not be a fan of his own films, I have to at least on this occasion, praise his taste in movies.
A low-budget crime thriller, it turns a routine bank robbery by three low-level criminals into a tense race against time due to the gang deciding to lock their two hostages, the stuffy, confirmed bachelor, bank manager, Colin Gordon and his pretty, level-headed female secretary Ann Blyth in the strong room after grabbing the loot, intending to alert the authorities to their rescue once they're in the clear. However, an unexpected and unfortunate twist of fate scuppers their plans and leaves the gang leader, the charismatic Derren Nesbitt, to decide whether or not to take the money and run or listen to his conscience and do the right thing by the innocent hostages.
Directed in a matter-of-fact style, with a noticeable lack of background incidental music to overdramatise an already fraught situation, the director achieves suspense and tension by cleverly cutting back and forth between the key scenes, contrasting the struggle to survive of the fast-fading pair inside the vault with the nervous, quarrelling remaining gang members and the methodical policing in the background.
Sure there are one or two questionable decisions made by the principals which if taken would have seen the film finish within fifteen minutes or so but once you grant this licence to the filmmaker, you can settle down to a gripping contemporary thriller, which ends genuinely surprisingly with a particularly memorable final image. I also like the way the film avoids the use of trite, obvious plot devices, like any hint of romance between the trapped pair.
Nesbitt and Gordon lead the cast well on opposite sides of the fence and Blyth too makes a good impression as young woman with all to live for, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Strongly recommended by Quentin Tarantino in a recent podcast, while I may not be a fan of his own films, I have to at least on this occasion, praise his taste in movies.
Simply excellent!
RodrigAndrisan5 June 2018
I had never heard of Vernon Sewell until I found this masterpiece on YouTube in June 2018. I discovered a great director and I want to see all his films, he has 41 credits as a director. This movie is excellent in all respects: story, direction, actors, the way it was filmed. The actors are not big names but they are all very good. Derren Nesbitt is still distinguished as Griff.
Good suspense film
regeinamae5 January 2022
Easier Getting In Than Out.
rmax30482321 October 2017
London in the mid 50s. Three thieves have plotted a bank robbery. They slip into the building expecting to find it empty but two of the staff have stayed late and in order to keep them out of the way the robbers tie and gag them, then lock them away in the bank's strongroom -- that's a "vault" to you and me.
A long weekend lies ahead. There isn't enough air to sustain two captives in the air tight vault.To ensure the rescue of the captives before their oxygen runs out, one of the thieves is detailed to drive the bank manager's car to a distant phone booth, call the police, tip them to the situation, and tell them the keys to the vault will be found in the phone booth. The police will then retrieve the keys, release the two captives, and no murder charge will be hanging like a black cloud over the miscreants.
Well, these three crooks are no brighter than they have to be. The guy with the keys, the one driving the manager's car, totals the vehicle and is killed before he can make the call, which is very foolish of him. It leaves the two remaining thieves in an uncomfortable situation. If they don't release the captives, they'll die. But they don't have the keys to the vault because the dead man had the keys in his pocket. A visit to the mortuary and a threat of violence to the coroner do them no good. It's Friday afternoon, and nobody will be at the bank until Tuesday, by which time the two captives will no longer need air.
I think that's about as far as I'll go with the plot. It's not an unfamiliar narrative, either in feature films or television series, but the reason it's familiar is that it works. It's innately suspenseful. Will they get the two innocents out alive? And if they do, what will it cost them. Meanwhile the clock is ticking.
It's an inexpensive film. Sometimes I could almost believe they had only one set and just rearranged the furniture. The acting is at about the same level as an ordinary person might achieve with one or two days' tutoring. I've given better performances myself, most notably in the undersung art house classic "Traxx." It's true. I was the drunken cowboy in the whorehouse. My kid was the little Oriental boy who was startled by a door being burst open. Two of the performers do stand out, though. The head honcho of the gang of three is a young man with a most peculiar face -- not ugly, just unusual. You'll see what I mean if you watch the movie. The other memorable character is the blond secretary who is locked away with the manager in the bank's vault. She has an attractive face, although it consists mostly of nose.
There's nothing outstanding about the movie. The narrative works because it's irresistible, but the performances are about what you'd find in a high school play in East Orange, New Jersey. Well, there are some grace notes. A cleaning lady hums a snatch from a Beethoven symphony as she mops the floor. Note, in particular, the coroner or whatever he is. The guy huffs and blubbers his way through a tense scene, and he's hilariously bad. The investigating detective is given the best line of dialog. When the mortician complains that one of the thieves threatened to kill him in an argument about the keys, the policeman gets to ask, "Well, did he?"
A long weekend lies ahead. There isn't enough air to sustain two captives in the air tight vault.To ensure the rescue of the captives before their oxygen runs out, one of the thieves is detailed to drive the bank manager's car to a distant phone booth, call the police, tip them to the situation, and tell them the keys to the vault will be found in the phone booth. The police will then retrieve the keys, release the two captives, and no murder charge will be hanging like a black cloud over the miscreants.
Well, these three crooks are no brighter than they have to be. The guy with the keys, the one driving the manager's car, totals the vehicle and is killed before he can make the call, which is very foolish of him. It leaves the two remaining thieves in an uncomfortable situation. If they don't release the captives, they'll die. But they don't have the keys to the vault because the dead man had the keys in his pocket. A visit to the mortuary and a threat of violence to the coroner do them no good. It's Friday afternoon, and nobody will be at the bank until Tuesday, by which time the two captives will no longer need air.
I think that's about as far as I'll go with the plot. It's not an unfamiliar narrative, either in feature films or television series, but the reason it's familiar is that it works. It's innately suspenseful. Will they get the two innocents out alive? And if they do, what will it cost them. Meanwhile the clock is ticking.
It's an inexpensive film. Sometimes I could almost believe they had only one set and just rearranged the furniture. The acting is at about the same level as an ordinary person might achieve with one or two days' tutoring. I've given better performances myself, most notably in the undersung art house classic "Traxx." It's true. I was the drunken cowboy in the whorehouse. My kid was the little Oriental boy who was startled by a door being burst open. Two of the performers do stand out, though. The head honcho of the gang of three is a young man with a most peculiar face -- not ugly, just unusual. You'll see what I mean if you watch the movie. The other memorable character is the blond secretary who is locked away with the manager in the bank's vault. She has an attractive face, although it consists mostly of nose.
There's nothing outstanding about the movie. The narrative works because it's irresistible, but the performances are about what you'd find in a high school play in East Orange, New Jersey. Well, there are some grace notes. A cleaning lady hums a snatch from a Beethoven symphony as she mops the floor. Note, in particular, the coroner or whatever he is. The guy huffs and blubbers his way through a tense scene, and he's hilariously bad. The investigating detective is given the best line of dialog. When the mortician complains that one of the thieves threatened to kill him in an argument about the keys, the policeman gets to ask, "Well, did he?"
Good Brit B heist flick with Colin Gordon in great form
adrianovasconcelos25 August 2023
Vernon Sewell, a frequent director of British B flicks, often heist-related, pulls off a good movie here with competent cinematography, and acting of quite above average quality, in particular from Colin Gordon - who, in my humble view, never quite matched this form again in his career. The greater the pity, he deserved better.
The screenplay by Richard Harris (apparently not the actor) and Max Marquis rates quite solid thanks to sharp dialogue that projects a thought-provoking cautionary tale - once you commit a crime, can your good intentions save you from severe punishment? What about your conscience - which at least Colin Gordon seems to have?...
7/10.
The screenplay by Richard Harris (apparently not the actor) and Max Marquis rates quite solid thanks to sharp dialogue that projects a thought-provoking cautionary tale - once you commit a crime, can your good intentions save you from severe punishment? What about your conscience - which at least Colin Gordon seems to have?...
7/10.
Suspenseful from beginning to end
AlsExGal31 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This British suspense film is fantastic on every level. Two employees are closing up a bank before a long holiday weekend when in pop three masked robbers. They force the bank employees downstairs and get them to open the "strongroom" where all of the money is. The robbers get their money, bind and gag the two employees, and then something happens they didn't plan on. Two cleaning women appear upstairs. The robbers know they can't get away in the time it will take for the bank employees to escape and alert the cleaning women, so they panic and throw the employees into the airtight strongroom and make their getaway.
On the way back to their hideout, the leader, Griff (Darren Nesbitt), comes up with a plan to rescue the bank employees, who will suffocate by midnight if not found. He and one of the robbers will go back to the hideout, while the third drives to the train station, calls the police from there and tells them of the robbery, and then drives back to the hideout. Griff figures the police will get nothing from tracing a call to such a busy public place, they get to keep the money, and the bankers are saved.
It is all looking good until the police show up at the hideout - which is actually just an apartment. They are not there to arrest the two robbers. Instead they are there to tell them that their companion died instantaneously in an auto accident while driving towards the station. You see, one of the robbers is the dead robber's brother and next of kin. Thus the now dead robber could never have made the call. And worse the keys to the strongroom are in the morgue with the third robber's body.
These two guys don't mind stealing, and they don't mind threatening to get what they want, but they do not want a murder rap. At the same time the two bank employees are trying idea after idea to either break free from the strongroom or at least get an air hole to the place. Plus they both have to deal with the fact that although they are both expected at events later in the day, nobody has noticed their absence enough to inquire as to what happened to either of them, so there are the expected tales of regret that people often tell when they feel they are at the end of life.
How will this all work out? Watch and find out. It really is a gripping thriller and extremely well acted.
On the way back to their hideout, the leader, Griff (Darren Nesbitt), comes up with a plan to rescue the bank employees, who will suffocate by midnight if not found. He and one of the robbers will go back to the hideout, while the third drives to the train station, calls the police from there and tells them of the robbery, and then drives back to the hideout. Griff figures the police will get nothing from tracing a call to such a busy public place, they get to keep the money, and the bankers are saved.
It is all looking good until the police show up at the hideout - which is actually just an apartment. They are not there to arrest the two robbers. Instead they are there to tell them that their companion died instantaneously in an auto accident while driving towards the station. You see, one of the robbers is the dead robber's brother and next of kin. Thus the now dead robber could never have made the call. And worse the keys to the strongroom are in the morgue with the third robber's body.
These two guys don't mind stealing, and they don't mind threatening to get what they want, but they do not want a murder rap. At the same time the two bank employees are trying idea after idea to either break free from the strongroom or at least get an air hole to the place. Plus they both have to deal with the fact that although they are both expected at events later in the day, nobody has noticed their absence enough to inquire as to what happened to either of them, so there are the expected tales of regret that people often tell when they feel they are at the end of life.
How will this all work out? Watch and find out. It really is a gripping thriller and extremely well acted.
A hidden Gem!
g-hbe24 March 2020
Well, what a pleasant surprise this turned out to be - a nifty, suspensful bank robbery/thriller that has the audience switching sides as the action unfolds. Derren Nesbitt unusually plays a character that shows a spark of humanity as he insists on going back to the scene of the robbery to prevent the two staff suffocating in the vault. However, I think the actor who plays 'Mr Snape' walks away with the trophy, even though he appears in only a handful of scenes. His acting is very natural and casual and he delivers his lines without grabbing the stage. A really good, tight and entertaining effort from all involved.
At last out on DVD!
steven-8711 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Seriously underrated little noir and, in some ways, a repeat of the 1960 movie "The Man In The Back Seat" which also starred Nesbitt and Faulkner as two crooks for whom fate deals a dirty hand. Both movies are excellent (and both directed by the equally underrated Sewell) and both have very neat twists in the tail. These two linked movies are unusual in that, given the era they were made in, the viewer is NOT subjected to "happy endings". As "Strongroom" was made in 1962, it might make for an interesting legal discussion as to whether either or both of the miscreants would hang or not......once again, Faulkner plays the conscience to Nesbitt's more hard-headed felon. I doubt whether that would count for too much with a contemporary criminal court jury, however. Faulkner is a fine foil to Nesbitt - they make a fine team in both movies...not sure why he gave up films. If anyone does, let me know...
Pure jewel from Sewell.
searchanddestroy-14 August 2020
That's the perfect example of what the UK crime movie industry, especially independent, could provide to the audiences, in the late fifties and early sixties. That scheme is ahead of its time, that's the kind of topic that you could find now, since a decade now. I have seen such stories from Spain or UK; sorry I don't remind the titles, but this stuff sounds familiar to me. No length here, no boredom, very tense, sharp as a knife. I don't think it was released in France. Do not miss it. At any cost. But it's definitely more a thriller than a crime drama. Not character's study, no violence nor rogue cops or gang war. See what I mean? I was very amused by the scene where a policeman - watching the two hoods using their cutting torch to crack the vault armored door with the two people behind - offering his lighter to switch the torch on.... Not that usual, admit it.
Small Back Room-Lite
Waiting2BShocked17 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A trio of crooks plan "one last job" that results in them unintentionally sealing a bank manager and a humble secretary in a time-locked vault, with sweaty cross-cutting moral-dilemma results.
Unfortunately the production as a whole is less hermetically sealed, resulting in a distinct lack of consistent tension. Unaided by listless direction from Sewell, the intrigue comes in the intense playing of Gordon and Lynn as the incarcerated couple who start off with nothing in common, but come to wring a credible denouement out of a genuinely unpredictable situation.
This is achieved through admirably unhysterical script and dialogue, in a way only the British could ever have achieved in second-feature quality material.
Unfortunately the production as a whole is less hermetically sealed, resulting in a distinct lack of consistent tension. Unaided by listless direction from Sewell, the intrigue comes in the intense playing of Gordon and Lynn as the incarcerated couple who start off with nothing in common, but come to wring a credible denouement out of a genuinely unpredictable situation.
This is achieved through admirably unhysterical script and dialogue, in a way only the British could ever have achieved in second-feature quality material.
Crooks with a conscience.
mark.waltz23 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A group of thieves rob a bank after it closes, locking the manager and clerk in the vault before leaving, and when one of them is killed in a car accident (having planned to let them out after a certain amount of time with the vault key they stole), the other two desperately try to get the keys back so they won't be guilty of murder. In the meantime, the bank employees are threatened with suffocating to death, and with time running out desperately try to get out. Suspicion of the police over the desperation to get the keys back leads them to try and find out more about the key, and as the suspense mounts, so does the intensity of the desperation, making for great drama!
This low budget British quota quickie, directed by Vernon Sewell and written by Max Marquis and Richard Harris, features a cast of unknowns. Derren Nesbit, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner and W. Morgan Sheppard are all superb, and with material like this, their motivation is obvious because even the best actors don't often get a script with so many great elements. Just the idea of the claustrophobic setting of the safe makes this all the more gripping as the viewer desperately wants to see the bank employees to get out. The way this is written and directed, it could go in any twist, and the viewer begins to sense that the writers could go down that path of tragedy. Without a doubt, one of the best British programmers of the '60s.
This low budget British quota quickie, directed by Vernon Sewell and written by Max Marquis and Richard Harris, features a cast of unknowns. Derren Nesbit, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner and W. Morgan Sheppard are all superb, and with material like this, their motivation is obvious because even the best actors don't often get a script with so many great elements. Just the idea of the claustrophobic setting of the safe makes this all the more gripping as the viewer desperately wants to see the bank employees to get out. The way this is written and directed, it could go in any twist, and the viewer begins to sense that the writers could go down that path of tragedy. Without a doubt, one of the best British programmers of the '60s.
"So much in life we take for granted"
richardchatten21 February 2022
one of the greatest british b films ever made
malcolmgsw25 October 2019
highly suspenseful
myriamlenys30 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Three men - two brothers and a mutual friend - rob a bank. Something goes wrong and both the manager and his secretary get locked into a large safe, a fearsome thing with an ultra-strong door. Can both prisoners get out before their air runs out ?
Now this is a strong, taut, suspenseful thriller. It's also got a highly original premise and an intricately designed plot of clockwork precision. In its own way, "Strongroom" is a meditation on the way in which small details and little coincidences can influence a life deeply. People can die, people can survive, depending on whether some ageing expert is able to retrieve a dusty file from archives...
Watching the movie I remembered the sad death of one of my acquaintances. After the poor man complained of pain in the chest, his wife telephoned emergency services, which reacted with admirable speed. The ambulance, however, had to navigate a maze of stands and displays, as this was the one day in the year when the neighbourhood organized its local fair. His daughter-in-law could have helped him, since she lived across the street and since she was a professional nurse, but she was being treated in hospital herself, having spilled hot oil on her foot while preparing fritters... And so the poor man died.
"Strongroom" would make a good teaching tool in law school, since it allows a series of discussions. How to qualify the crime(s) of the robbers ? What would be the sentence, or the most appropriate sentence ? Are there mitigating or aggravating circumstances ? Are all robbers equally guilty ? I get the idea there might be a variety of answers and opinions, especially if one organizes a "contrast and compare" between different eras or different legal systems.
As a foreigner, I was somewhat bemused by the inflexible attitude of the official in charge of the morgue. Was the scene realistic, or was it exaggerated for dramatic effect ? Logically, one would expect the system to allow for some latitude, since it must happen regularly that citizens get killed in an accident while carrying some possessions necessary to their nearest and dearest. Imagine, say, a man who gets killed in a car accident while carrying the house keys. Or imagine a woman who gets crushed by falling masonry while carrying cash money intended as rent. You're not going to tell me that the surviving family members would need to spend the next two weeks living under the naked sky...
Now this is a strong, taut, suspenseful thriller. It's also got a highly original premise and an intricately designed plot of clockwork precision. In its own way, "Strongroom" is a meditation on the way in which small details and little coincidences can influence a life deeply. People can die, people can survive, depending on whether some ageing expert is able to retrieve a dusty file from archives...
Watching the movie I remembered the sad death of one of my acquaintances. After the poor man complained of pain in the chest, his wife telephoned emergency services, which reacted with admirable speed. The ambulance, however, had to navigate a maze of stands and displays, as this was the one day in the year when the neighbourhood organized its local fair. His daughter-in-law could have helped him, since she lived across the street and since she was a professional nurse, but she was being treated in hospital herself, having spilled hot oil on her foot while preparing fritters... And so the poor man died.
"Strongroom" would make a good teaching tool in law school, since it allows a series of discussions. How to qualify the crime(s) of the robbers ? What would be the sentence, or the most appropriate sentence ? Are there mitigating or aggravating circumstances ? Are all robbers equally guilty ? I get the idea there might be a variety of answers and opinions, especially if one organizes a "contrast and compare" between different eras or different legal systems.
As a foreigner, I was somewhat bemused by the inflexible attitude of the official in charge of the morgue. Was the scene realistic, or was it exaggerated for dramatic effect ? Logically, one would expect the system to allow for some latitude, since it must happen regularly that citizens get killed in an accident while carrying some possessions necessary to their nearest and dearest. Imagine, say, a man who gets killed in a car accident while carrying the house keys. Or imagine a woman who gets crushed by falling masonry while carrying cash money intended as rent. You're not going to tell me that the surviving family members would need to spend the next two weeks living under the naked sky...
Well acted, well directed; well worth the time
barkiswilling28 March 2022
A truly excellent B feature that manages to combine tension, greed, conscience and human frailty into what would otherwise be a routine caper pic.
The plot is not new and the idea of a steadily depleting oxygen supply in a bank vault was also seen in "Time Lock" (1957); here, however, it is used much more effectively, particularly in the well played and touching scenes with Colin Gordon's stuffy bank manager and Ann Lynn as his secretary as they struggle with the increasingly desperate situation. Darren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner are both superb as (not so) bad guys with a conscience. In case you happen to be sitting comfortably, the final frame delivers a well-aimed punch to the emotional solar plexus.
The plot is not new and the idea of a steadily depleting oxygen supply in a bank vault was also seen in "Time Lock" (1957); here, however, it is used much more effectively, particularly in the well played and touching scenes with Colin Gordon's stuffy bank manager and Ann Lynn as his secretary as they struggle with the increasingly desperate situation. Darren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner are both superb as (not so) bad guys with a conscience. In case you happen to be sitting comfortably, the final frame delivers a well-aimed punch to the emotional solar plexus.
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