River Beat

Oscar-winning cameraman Guy Green turned director with this typical fifties police procedural which justifies its title by beginning and ending with chase sequences vividly shot on the Thames around Tower Bridge.

In between it ambles nonchalantly through various scenes depicting Inspector John Bentley chatting with his sidekick in his office and American visitor Phyllis Kirk constantly inconveniently finding diamonds in her possession when being searched until she and Bentley join forces to clear her name and foil the bad guys in time for the final clinch. The End.

So-so quota quickie. typical of its type, whose plot has been well covered in other reviews, so just a few things to add. Great location work around docklands, and nearby parts of 50s London, and I didn't think it paced itself too badly. On the down side, though the plot itself is reasonably coherent, there's plenty that doesn't quite ring true, in line with films of the genre. There's the villain with his much younger moll, whom he appears to treat as a slave, so that he never has to leave his seat - she even holds the phone for him while talks into it. There's the Mr Big, who, as soon as he pulls out a gun, you just know he's going to the world's worst shot, and will bungle his advantage. There's the final, frantic ten minutes, in which there will be a chase and a fist fight, the hero will when and then....well you know what's next, There seemed to a law for such films that there has be an implausible whirlwind romance between the two lead characters. and, when these two meet by chance for the first time in a bar, you know that they will declare their love for each other about half an hour later (okay, maybe two days later, but having spent no more than about half an hour together during those two days.). Perhaps that's what the viewing public wanted in those days, I just want to be surprised one day by a film like this in which the cops get the baddies despite the two leads not being able to stand the sight of each other. Anyway, it's a watchable hour, if only for the look of it.

This movie has a pretty good crime/detective plot that makes it worth watching even though there are times when it moves pretty slowly. Most of the production is unspectacular, but good enough to sustain the story.

Dan Barker is a police inspector working the "River Beat" in London, watching for smugglers. He becomes attracted to a woman (played by Phyllis Kirk) who then turns up in possession of some smuggled diamonds, and Barker must decide whether she is guilty or not. After the plot gets set up like this, things start to move slowly for much of the middle of the movie. But the ending is good - there is at least one worthwhile surprise, and some reasonably good action.

It's mostly an average B-film, without any major flaws, and probably worth watching for the story if you enjoy crime/detective features.

This film is set in the Port of London just after the coronation.The story revolves around Phylis Kirk being duped into smuggling diamonds.There is a very long chain in this gang from those on board to those on shore.The head of the gang seems to be Charles Looyd Pack.However there is so much in the way of plot that we never actual see whether he is hauled in by the police.We have Kirk chasing Glyn Houston around Dockland as it then was,and then on to the East End.The chase ends in the mud at low tide on the Thames.Looks like the actors were having great fun.Kirk is actually quote good as the arbitrary American lead and the reason for her being on the scene ,is for once quite plausible.This is a very watchable thriller.

A slow moving British crime film set on and around the River Thames. The ubiquitous John Bentley as a river boat patrolman who holds the rank of detective inspector and who is investigating a case of diamond smuggling linked to a large ship docked on the Thames. He becomes involved with a young woman linked to the case and she reluctantly agrees to help him attempt to catch the criminal gang responsible.

While the Thames setting is a quite unique one and makes RIVER BEAT stand out from all the rest of the British crime films of the era, the actual storytelling involved is unremarkable. The running time of RIVER BEAT is just 70 minutes but it feels at least twice that thanks to the sluggish pace and saggy middle where nothing really happens at all. The first part of the film and the climax are mildly exciting but there's a whole lot of time wasting in between.

Bentley is a reliable hero and American import Phyllis Kirk (HOUSE OF WAX) is fine in support. As usual there are plenty of faces lower down in the cast list including Glyn Houston (brother of Donald), Bill Nagy, Michael Balfour, Robert Ayres, and Charles Lloyd Pack. I was surprised that Sam Kydd didn't show up at some point as this would have been a good fit for him.