VENETIAN BIRD is a mostly forgotten but nonetheless engaging little thriller from 1952 with both political and spy overtones. The reliably tough Richard Todd plays a detective who heads over to Venice to find a war hero, only to find himself caught in a web of suspicion and ultimately murder. Conflict comes from both a criminal gang with murder in mind as well as the local police force under the auspices of George Couloris. Todd is excellent in this one and there's a real Hitchcockian flavour to the proceedings; an excellent cast including the likes of Sid James, Michael Balfour, Eric Pohlmann and John Gregson in support helps too to make it an entertaining watch.
Review of The Assassin
