Clearly this film was inspired by the revelations of various communist spies in the establishment and actual spy rings.This is a very neat and fast paced thriller with an exciting climax.It is also interesting for those of us living in London at the time what it was like.I have to say it looks rather down at heels with the grime of years of coal staining the buildings.No supermarkets yet,so a United Daries grocers shop next to the surgery with its windows full of tins.The cinema used is the Coronet Notting Hill.I am pleased to say that it is still operating and still looks pretty much the same inside.Anyway a thoroughly entertaining film.
15 Reviews
A visual document of long-lost London
sjaytaylor15 May 2021
It's one of those old B pictures with a lot of location shooting in London, which now makes for rather more compelling viewing than the film itself (which is very similar in feel and treatment to Sidney Lumet's altogether superior "The Deadly Affair" from five years later).
The cinema which features extensively and in which one of the spies meets his end is neither of those mentioned in previous reviews. It is actually the Grange Cinema on High Street KIlburn, dating from 1914 and Grade II listed, as a result of which is therefore still there, albeit now functioning, as so many do, as a third-world evangelical church.
The cinema which features extensively and in which one of the spies meets his end is neither of those mentioned in previous reviews. It is actually the Grange Cinema on High Street KIlburn, dating from 1914 and Grade II listed, as a result of which is therefore still there, albeit now functioning, as so many do, as a third-world evangelical church.
Well Constructed.
crumpytv16 May 2021
A neat spy thriller set in London and there are a lot of interesting shots of the streets, London in the rain etc. You could almost smell the chlorine in the swimming baths.
Some of these B movies have some dodgy acting, but this is pretty credible throughout. Patrick Crane followed this up with a successful TV series, Crane. He want on to become in demand for his voice overs and narrations.
If the girl in the poster is supposed to be Mary it is not representative of her role in the film.
Some of these B movies have some dodgy acting, but this is pretty credible throughout. Patrick Crane followed this up with a successful TV series, Crane. He want on to become in demand for his voice overs and narrations.
If the girl in the poster is supposed to be Mary it is not representative of her role in the film.
A very effective espionage yarn.
searchanddestroy-119 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Well, I was amazed and surprised by this little UK film. i did not expect so much. A fast paced movie telling the cat and mouse game between government agents vs a spy ring who has taken secret documents from a plane crash in Germany, not far from an US military research center. All set in London area. The actors are known for this kind of features, but I never remember their names.
Anyway, I recommend it. The climax in the swimming pool reminds me Howard Koch's SHIELD FOR MURDER. Jim O' Connoly is here only the producer and writer, not the director.
UK espionage movies are not always so good, so powerful. Such a shame.
Anyway, I recommend it. The climax in the swimming pool reminds me Howard Koch's SHIELD FOR MURDER. Jim O' Connoly is here only the producer and writer, not the director.
UK espionage movies are not always so good, so powerful. Such a shame.
Precursor To Lecarre
boblipton12 February 2023
There are secrets being leaked and Patrick Allen is told to find out who and how, with American James Maxwell seconded for US interests.
It's a slow and deliberate movie, far from the slam-bang and sexcapades of the James Bond franchise. Allen is still in love with ex-wife Zena Walker, and she with him, but their marriage could not take the strain. Maxwell is interested in Jacqueline Ellis, but though she makes a lovely dinner companion, the work they do is too dirty for her to ever think of marriage. In between these reliefs, such as they are, from the main story, they track the route of the stolen secrets to a doctor's office, and set up in a betting shop across the street to surveil.... and run into problems when a successful bettor puts the shop in the red.
It's unglamorous and even occasionally dull to watch their progress, up until the slam-bang ending. The result is a film that is too realistic to be very entertaining, but stands as a useful correction to the usual image of spywork.
It's a slow and deliberate movie, far from the slam-bang and sexcapades of the James Bond franchise. Allen is still in love with ex-wife Zena Walker, and she with him, but their marriage could not take the strain. Maxwell is interested in Jacqueline Ellis, but though she makes a lovely dinner companion, the work they do is too dirty for her to ever think of marriage. In between these reliefs, such as they are, from the main story, they track the route of the stolen secrets to a doctor's office, and set up in a betting shop across the street to surveil.... and run into problems when a successful bettor puts the shop in the red.
It's unglamorous and even occasionally dull to watch their progress, up until the slam-bang ending. The result is a film that is too realistic to be very entertaining, but stands as a useful correction to the usual image of spywork.
Patrick Allen, THE TRAITORS
TheFearmakers17 October 2022
The second of two British b-crimes pairing lantern-jawed Patrick Allen, honing one of the greatest voices in cinema history, with ingenue Jacqueline Ellis, THE TRAITORS... written by Jim O'Connelly who'd direct Ellis in THE HI-JACKERS the next year... follows the usual spy template popular in the 1960's...
Herein the titular gang of microfilm-carrying turncoats are shadowed by stalwart British agent Allen paired with an American with a British accent in future OTLEY actor James Maxwell...
Allen is married while Maxwell, single, takes Jacqueline Ellis's Mary, as a female agent, on a date, which, sadly, is about the only real screen-time she has, buried by Allen's troubled wife Zena Walker while the action and espionage, with an extremely meager budget, isn't very suspenseful...
The poster has a petrified dame with her mouth covered as Allen's getting pistol-whipped, and neither occurs in this average post-noir that's still an entertaining time-filler, economically filling its sixty-minute programmer's length.
Herein the titular gang of microfilm-carrying turncoats are shadowed by stalwart British agent Allen paired with an American with a British accent in future OTLEY actor James Maxwell...
Allen is married while Maxwell, single, takes Jacqueline Ellis's Mary, as a female agent, on a date, which, sadly, is about the only real screen-time she has, buried by Allen's troubled wife Zena Walker while the action and espionage, with an extremely meager budget, isn't very suspenseful...
The poster has a petrified dame with her mouth covered as Allen's getting pistol-whipped, and neither occurs in this average post-noir that's still an entertaining time-filler, economically filling its sixty-minute programmer's length.
Solid Components but Suspense is Sparse
daoldiges22 March 2023
The look, sound, and feel of The Traitors are all strong and well done. All of the performances are solid as well, in particular all the leads fulfill their parts well. The film provides an authentic grit to the proceedings and in that respect it is engaging and good. The weak part for me was the story. Yes, in the broad sense it's a solid story but as for the details and specifics that might create some suspense and draw the viewer in, those elements are just never fully realized. It's a shame because I really liked all of the characters and enjoyed spending time with them but any suspense and sense of urgency were just too short on supply.
Good Little Film
Picgoer15 November 2023
I love black and white films particularly crime dramas which essentially this is. The main draw for me is the realistic use of location and that the locations shown were linked ( bus routes were accurate for example) and not just arbitrary shots of places that are often miles apart.
The drama itself whilst not particularly suspenseful, did show what I suspect most surveillance of spy's and criminals is like, fairly humdrum and probably tedious much of the time. I thought the film had good pace in general and it's always fun spotting well known character actors and those just starting to become known. I was surprised to learn that James Maxwell was American as I thought his accent wasn't that good! I've always thought him to be British! Harold Goodwin injected some warmth and humour into the film whilst Zena Walker's character was, I think, unnecessary.
Overall I think it's a good film an worth a watch. Those who recognise the locations will enjoy spotting land marks they know, for others it's a snapshot of what working class London of the early 1960's was like. Most of the locations have now been gentrified and the houses within these gritty streets contain homes now worth up to a million or more!
The drama itself whilst not particularly suspenseful, did show what I suspect most surveillance of spy's and criminals is like, fairly humdrum and probably tedious much of the time. I thought the film had good pace in general and it's always fun spotting well known character actors and those just starting to become known. I was surprised to learn that James Maxwell was American as I thought his accent wasn't that good! I've always thought him to be British! Harold Goodwin injected some warmth and humour into the film whilst Zena Walker's character was, I think, unnecessary.
Overall I think it's a good film an worth a watch. Those who recognise the locations will enjoy spotting land marks they know, for others it's a snapshot of what working class London of the early 1960's was like. Most of the locations have now been gentrified and the houses within these gritty streets contain homes now worth up to a million or more!
Realistic but slow moving British spy film
Leofwine_draca16 September 2016
Although I see that other reviewers have praised THE TRAITORS as one of the finer examples of the British B-movie spy genre, I thought it was quite hard work if I'm honest. The film sees the typically tough Patrick Allen on the track of some Cold War spies and aided by various parties including an American import and Reed De Rouen. This low budget movie has an occasional on the street piece of grit to it but more often than not the lack of money means that it's a talky affair lacking in suspense and excitement.
The film only really gets going with a couple of scenes set in a swimming pool towards the end which make good use of the authentic surroundings. Up until that point it's just guys sitting around in rooms and occasionally bugging other people and listening to their conversations. I'm well aware that this is what spying is really like so THE TRAITORS does have the ring of authenticity to it, it's just a pity it's so dull as a result.
The film only really gets going with a couple of scenes set in a swimming pool towards the end which make good use of the authentic surroundings. Up until that point it's just guys sitting around in rooms and occasionally bugging other people and listening to their conversations. I'm well aware that this is what spying is really like so THE TRAITORS does have the ring of authenticity to it, it's just a pity it's so dull as a result.
Dull. Dull. Dull.
kerchelnate21 September 2020
Even accepting that this is a 'b' movie, I found the experience of watching it very arduous. However, I persevered in the hope that things would get better. They did not except for right in the last 5-10 minutes with the swimming pool scene.
The actors do a great job with what they have been given to work with - which is not a lot! Fine for a wet Sunday afternoon if there is nothing better to do.
The Traitors 1962
fenderred21 December 2019
Although some may find the film slow to get going, this is often the way of real life counter intelligence work.
My copy was paired with the Wind of change film, I have watched Trtitors a few times and it is a pacey film, a few of the 'faces' from the 60's and 70's turn up, actors like Geoffrey Segal and Patrick Allen for example.
The black and white does give the air of 'old' film and does lend atmosphere to the mainly London locations. It is an intelligently scripted film, directed by Robert Tronson, later to direct Bergerac episodes for TV.
If you've not seen the Portland Spies film, then that is also another great film in the same type of interest, Portland being based on a true story.
All things considered, budget, script and behind the camera this is a good film.
My copy was paired with the Wind of change film, I have watched Trtitors a few times and it is a pacey film, a few of the 'faces' from the 60's and 70's turn up, actors like Geoffrey Segal and Patrick Allen for example.
The black and white does give the air of 'old' film and does lend atmosphere to the mainly London locations. It is an intelligently scripted film, directed by Robert Tronson, later to direct Bergerac episodes for TV.
If you've not seen the Portland Spies film, then that is also another great film in the same type of interest, Portland being based on a true story.
All things considered, budget, script and behind the camera this is a good film.
The Traitors (1962)
michaeldarvell31 August 2014
The Traitors is a excellent film compared to most other second features of the same period, 1962. It has a very good story by Jim O'Connolly, writer-director of another fine B movie, Smokescreen, in a tale of spies in London exchanging government information in a cat and mouse chase between the secret agents and the security men. The characters are well-rounded and have good, sparky dialogue that is often humorous too which gives them more humanity. Most second features of the 1950s and 1960s were just pot-boilers to while away an hour or so before the main feature came on. Good and credible performances by reliable British actors such as Patrick Allen, James Maxwell and Harold Goodwin etc make The Traitors a taut and suspenseful piece of film making by director Robert Tronson. The cinema used by the spies to exchange information is not the Coronet at Notting HIll, which is on a left-hand corner. The cinema in The Traitors is on a right-hand corner and looks like the ABC Fulham Road, at the corner of Drayton Gardens.
"You're the traitors..."
ianlouisiana11 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
...screams the spy arrested at the Harrow Road Baths as he struggles with his M.I.5 captors,and at the time - the height of the CND movement,the strange fascination Kruschev inspired in the British Left Wing press, this country,dull,dreary and lifeless,seemed almost like an East European Soviet satellite - he clearly felt he had a point as his Masters promised the Working Classes a better deal than he felt they were getting in Britain. As he was led away cursing,even the spycatchers seemed discomfited by his words. "The Traitors" can be seen to have hugely influenced espionage films from "The Ipcress File" onwards with its semi verite style and extensive use of real London exteriors.There are still boarded - off bombsites 17 years after the war ended,the clothes are drab and entirely suited to the black and white photography and what traffic there is appears to be travelling suicidally fast through an unrecognisable Notting Hill. See "Ring of spies" for a similar example of the superior small English picture that has a lot to say about the state of the country at about the same time. There is not a wasted shot in the whole film,not a line of dialogue that needed to be excised. It is a brilliant example of what good film makers can do with a big imagination and a small budget. Currently showing on the excellent "Talking Pictures" Freeview channel.
Unpleasantness at the baths of Harrow Road
clanciai16 February 2023
It's consistent realism makes this film more interesting and superior to any of the various spy game novels by Ian Fleming and all that lot, which generally appear absurd for their contrived artificial constructions, while this gives you the impression of being taken from real life, almost like a documentary, actually anticipating John le Carré. The gratefully repeated sequences of the streets of London are quite genuine, and the cinema used for clandestine exchanges even leading to a murder does still exist, launched already in 1914. The film gives an authentic mood of post-war London, although you don't see any ruins, but the feeling of hangover weariness is unmistakable, especially since the spy leading to the winding up of the dirty business of treason is a regular alcoholic with all his emptied bottles kept for memories. The mood is somewhere between John le Carré, Georges Simenon and Graham Greene, and every second of the operation is worth all your attention, not a word is wasted, not one step is a false move, and you can't ignore the casualties - it is a dirty business, as Mary states as a fact for an excuse not to marry her devoted Ray.
Compact, riveting British B espionage noir
adrianovasconcelos1 April 2023
Robert Tronson, a director I had never heard of until I saw THE TRAITORS, manages to give this British B production a very accomplished look of professionalism, efficiency, and team work in the British defense and espionage ranks at the height of the Cold War. To that end, Tronson's direction is superbly assisted by a tight, uncompromising and riveting screenplay by Joe Levy and Jim O'Connolly (I still know nothing about either of them), with sharp dialogue interspersed with meaningful silences, and even references to side issues one seldom sees mentioned in this type of flick, like the cost of running a bet agency as a front.
British agent Patrick Allen, whose personal life and marriage have suffered as a result of his espionage work, teams up with American /NATO counterpart James Maxwell, as part of an operation to root out a spy cell in London. The main spy suspect, effectively played by Jeffrey Segal, thinks nothing of icing an MI5 traitor who wants more dough for his efforts, and you witness the operation of the spying cell in a sooty and dark London, often washed down by rain, remarkably well conveyed in sterling cinematography - especially for a B noir - by Bert Davey, consummately assisted by the film editing of Peter Bolta. The tracking shot over London buildings and traffic as the titles roll down at the start clearly achieves A quality and sets the tone for the rest of THE TRAITORS.
You also see how an extensive array of MI5 agents and vehicles keep watching Segal's every move, thereby managing to uncover its members and leader, bringing all to justice in a fast-moving and exciting finale.
The acting excels almost anything I have watched in B flicks, be it in the UK, US, France, or elsewhere. Allen and Maxwell are extremely effective and convincing as fit and fast-thinking agents, and they are seconded by a quality cast, including two very pretty ladies, Ellis and Walker.
The action, especially the finale at a public swimming pool, is well paced and very believably and succintly done.
At a short 66', and with a wonderfully upbeat and yet discreet musical score by Douglas, this B pic deserves more than just watching - it deserves savoring!
British agent Patrick Allen, whose personal life and marriage have suffered as a result of his espionage work, teams up with American /NATO counterpart James Maxwell, as part of an operation to root out a spy cell in London. The main spy suspect, effectively played by Jeffrey Segal, thinks nothing of icing an MI5 traitor who wants more dough for his efforts, and you witness the operation of the spying cell in a sooty and dark London, often washed down by rain, remarkably well conveyed in sterling cinematography - especially for a B noir - by Bert Davey, consummately assisted by the film editing of Peter Bolta. The tracking shot over London buildings and traffic as the titles roll down at the start clearly achieves A quality and sets the tone for the rest of THE TRAITORS.
You also see how an extensive array of MI5 agents and vehicles keep watching Segal's every move, thereby managing to uncover its members and leader, bringing all to justice in a fast-moving and exciting finale.
The acting excels almost anything I have watched in B flicks, be it in the UK, US, France, or elsewhere. Allen and Maxwell are extremely effective and convincing as fit and fast-thinking agents, and they are seconded by a quality cast, including two very pretty ladies, Ellis and Walker.
The action, especially the finale at a public swimming pool, is well paced and very believably and succintly done.
At a short 66', and with a wonderfully upbeat and yet discreet musical score by Douglas, this B pic deserves more than just watching - it deserves savoring!
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