Cat & Mouse

Just watched this movie on UK satellite channel "Movies for Men". Not come across it before and found it quite entertaining. Lee Patterson is always worth a look and it seemed strange to see perennial bit part player Madden in a more major role, albeit in a comparatively minor film. I tend to side with the contributor who suggests that the injury to Madden's arm was sustained when Patterson was cornered in the living room by the six coppers. The violent part of the scene could have been axed by the censors (or even the TV company as it was shown on daytime TV). It would not be the first time either that a TV company has clipped a film to fit into broadcasting schedules. Maybe someone more in the know could put our minds at rest!

Ann Coltby (Ann Sears) is a young woman who visits the house of William Scruby (Hilton Edwards) late at night.

Scruby was an associate of her father who was a villain and involved in a robbery. After the death of Ann's mother, he is certain that she knows where the loot was hidden.

In an altercation it seems Ann has killed Scruby. Then Rod Fenner (Lee Patterson) an American army deserter enters the scene.

He was being blackmailed by Scruby. He has overheard the conversation between Scruby and Ann and he wants in on the hidden loot. Ann is vulnerable because of her involvement in the death of Scruby.

The problem is Ann has no idea about what her father had hidden. Her best hope is that the police can get to her in time after Fenner injured a policeman.

Director Paul Rotha was known for his documentaries. He is ill at ease with this low budget B thriller. It is listless and dull.

The story is so silly, it was hard to take it seriously. Ann has been bound by Fenner and then kindly asks him to get her coat from the next room. She does not realise that she is a kidnap victim and or is in a vulnerable position until much later.

Ann Sears calls on Hilton Edwards at his request. Her father had been hanged for murder during a jewelry robbery twenty years ago. Now her mother has just died. Edwards is here to collect the jewelry. Miss Sears says she does not know anything about any jewelry. Edwards becomes threatening, and she pushes him off. He falls onto the floor, hitting his head on the mantel. The next thing Miss Sears knows, Lee Patterson is talking to her about getting rid of the corpse. Eventually they flee to her home, where he starts out wheedling and ends up threatening.

Paul Rotha's movie has a dreamlike, nightmarish quality to it, as circumstances and people push Miss Sears in one direction or the other, and she goes along, helpless and knowing it, powerless to do anything about it. Perhaps that quality is derived from John Creasey's source novel. He once described his method as "I've no idea ahead of time what will develop. The plot and any other ideas all happen simultaneously in the - if you'll forgive the pompous phrase - in the act of creation as it were. None of it is easy."

Well, it seems to have worked for Creasey, who wrote something between 500 and 600 books. That sounds nightmarish to me, and Rotha has certainly captured that quality in his movie.

Anne Sears accepts an invitation from a former associate of her late father's, named Hilton Edwards. Edwards presents Anne with an unexpected proposition.

Sometimes you'll take a chance on a film from the 1950's, and discover a real gem. Sadly this isn't one of those finds, but it's not all bad.

It's a little slow moving, at times it is a little boring, but the story is relatively interesting enough to keep you engaged. The twist at the end, perhaps was a little too easy to spot, the camera lingered a little too long on the victim, it made you think.

There are a few too many stereotypes, such as the overcoat wearing Detective, he was somewhat one dimensional, some of the other characters just lacked any spark.

Rod was definitely the most interesting character, and by far the best element of the film, he was an interesting guy, he's like a vision from the sixties, whilst his captive looks like she's arrived from thr forties.

Anne has a somewhat vacant, glazed look on her face, which initially I thought may have been shock, but by the end of the film I wasn't too sure, you'd have thought the penny may have dropped a little earlier on.

It's alright, just a bit too slow.

5/10.

No acting to speak of, soporific directing, dialogue-by-numbers, poor Victor Maddern looks ridiculous as the CID man with the obligatory trench coat and pipe.