The Traitors

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!