Zusammenstoß

This is a 1960s B movie short. It is a poor film which starts interestingly enough but quickly loses impact.

It is low budget that inspires to be some type of American gangster flick. It contains some straightforward performances, a dicey script with more holes than a colander.

It is rather surprising to see Ballard Berkeley better known as the Major in Fawlty Towers as a younger rather straight talking newspaper editor.

Conrad Phillips plays Moir, an experienced crime reporter who has been pursuing a gangster known as the Duke.

The Duke in retaliation fits him up for a train robbery and the police arrest him and he is sentenced to two years in jail. In jail Moir plots his revenge.

I have big doubts how the police would think a well known crime reporter can suddenly get involved in a train robbery.

As for the revenge plot. The climax takes place in a cold storage warehouse. It is underwhelming in its sheer hokeyness. I think the filmmakers got bored as it suddenly ends.

A drab little effort which sees investigative journalist "Jack Moir" (Conrad Philiips) framed and convicted for a mail heist. The remaining drama combines all the usual aspects - a local "Mr. Big" - this time hammily played by George Pastell; an incompetent police investigation and - luckily for him, his former colleagues from his newspaper (Ballard Berkeley & Linda Marlowe) who believe him innocent. Once he is released from prison, he is bent on revenge. The biggest snag for me with this crime caper is that they clearly invested heavily in the jazz-style soundtrack and so wanted to get their money's worth - it's intrusive to the point of being annoying and is frequently used to generate tension instead of any script!

A routine quickie offering from the Butchers studio that doesn't exactly catch fire. Conrad Phillips is always watchable and does well with his role as a revengeful newspaperman out to get 'The Duke'. There is real chemistry in the scenes with sexy Anita West (of short lived BLUE PETER fame), but absolutely no chemistry at all with his rather underwritten girlfriend Diana (Linda Marlowe).

George Pastell plays the chief villain by the book- to many in my generation he will always be remembered as the twitchy train conductor in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.

Otherwise the usual fun is to be had spotting familiar locations and actors who went on to greater fame in other vehicles- such as the ever-dependable Ballard Berkeley (FAWLTY TOWERS) and Mike - billed here as Michael - Pratt (RANDALL & HOPKIRK deceased).

This was shown in UK TV in the middle of the night recently (Dec 1998) and I was transfixed by its amateurishness. The fight scenes were so unconvincing, I think I could have arranged them and the script was cliche ridden.

It's worth seeing just to see how bad it is.

Crime reporter Conrad Phillips' series of articles about gangster George Pastell annoy him so much he frames the reporter for mail robbery. While in, Phillips talk about his hopes for revenge with cell mate John Rees. When he's out, he goes to Pastell's club and proceeds to annoy him into wanting Phillips dead. When Rees comes in and offers all the information on Phillips a vengeance-seeking crime boss could want, he bites.

It's an inexpensive second feature from Butchers, which means it's very inexpensive. Nonetheless, it's competent, and I could figure out if Rees was helping Phillips, or wanted a payoff from Pastell. Now that's suspense! A very nice balance in script and production, and a particularly nice part for Rees.