Vor dem Umbruch - Mord

This was one of the 23 films made by the film technicians union ACT.It has a decent cast including a few scenes featuring Chilli Bouchier.Vincent Ball plays a reporter and John Le Mesurier plays a detective who are both on the track of a gang holding illegal gambling parties However one of the main gamblers is murdered.It has to be said that the climax is rather tame and disappointing.Michael Ripper makes a good editor

Synopsis to the contrary, the film is in fact about a pair of reporters attempting to infiltrate a gambling ring that sets up illegal parties in rented premises. The comedy is a bit heavy handed, but the film is brief enough not to be annoying. There will be many familiar faces for viewers who have enjoyed British cinema from that era. Overall, a harmless and occasionally interesting story, if you enjoy period decor and street scenes. Will neither kill nor thrill, but it passes the time in a not entirely unpleasant manner.

Vincent Ball is a reporter working on a series of stories about the depredations of West End gambling houses and how they are ruining innocent lives. He doesn't have any leads or connections, which doesn't stop him. Today is his lucky day. He thinks he has a connection, but his girlfriend, staff writer Betty McDowall also gets an in. There she is given a stack of chips by gambler Brian Worth, while Ball is working as a waiter. She's winning, but before she can collect, there's a police raid, led by Inspector John Le Meseurier. The next morning, they're let go, and Worth turns up dead.

It's an agreeable comedy-mystery, with a lot of fun being added by Michael Ripper as the tight-fisted editor Like many of the films directed by Montgomery Tully, it exceeds its script slightly, and the script is all right to begin with. Chili Bouchier makes her final film appearance here.