Four Desperate Men

The last film produced by Ealing Studios is a disappointing tale in which four men led by escaped prisoner Aldo Ray hold a family hostage on a tiny island off Sydney Harbour called Pinchgut with the intention of having his case reviewed. There might have been some mileage in exploring the desperation of an innocent man going to such desperate lengths, but writer-director Harry Watt shows little interest in delving too deeply into the matter. The film is almost completely devoid of tension as it lumbers clumsily towards a predictable conclusion.

Neil McCallum breaks his brother, Aldo Ray, and three others out of prison. Ray wants a retrial, and talks about getting the public on his side, while the others just want away, but go along, with grumbling. But the boat they are on wrecks its piston, and they put up at Fort Denison in Sidney Harbor, aka, Pinchgut Island. They take the keeper, his wife and daughter hostage, and plan to get away the following evening, after the tourists have left. But that goes wrong, too, and they come up with a third plan: there are shells inside the disused fort, and a working gun, and a ship in the harbor with 15,000 tons of explosives. A shell in that ship will destroy miles and miles of Sidney. The authorities are paralyzed. They could destroy everyone in the fort, but then what would public opinion say about the keeper and his family? The only man who can order a retrial for Ray is out of town and refuses to act.

The last movie produced by Ealing Studios under Michael Balcon is in no wise a comedy, although there are some funny bits as the harbor area is evacuated. Instead, it's about the men under pressure, the authorities who refuse to budge because of red tape and conviction, and the increasingly frenzied behavior of Ray, as his brother expresses doubts.

Director Harry Watt had become a director in the GPO unit under Humphrey Jennings. He directed the fine NIGHT MAIL, and did uncredited direction on LONDON CAN TAKE IT. During the War he moved to Ealing. After the War he directed their overseas movies. After this, he went to TV and eventually back into documentary work. He died in 1987 at the age of 80.

Three men break a convicted criminal out of jail. Their escape plan falters when their boat breaks down off Fort Dennison - "Pinchgut " - an island in Sydney Harbour. The caretaker of the island recognises the felon and the game is up. The four hold the caretaker and his family hostage, resulting in a deadly standoff with police.

An interesting enough hostage drama. The initial setup is well done, with the ambulance and hospital scenes being particularly exciting. The climax of the film is also quite exciting.

However, the middle section, the back-and-forth between the gang and the police, is a bit of a drag at times. The lack of character engagement here is quite telling as, while you're initially made to think that the felon was wrongfully convicted and is in the right, his actions throughout the film are hardly endearing. The police largely act quite professionally (with one glaring exception) so are not the villains of the piece. Still, it's hard to pick a side, especially as there are some good elements within the gang.

One major positive is the views, as we get some great shots of Sydney Harbour (pre-Opera House), including of the Harbour Bridge and from the Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour views are, for me, the highlights of the film.

The most interesting thing about the Siege of Pinchgut are the numbers of scenes of the City of Sydney and some of its suburbs in the 1950s, which is fascinating to review nearly 60 years later.

The story involves an escaped criminal (Aldo Ray), who protests his innocence, and the 3 men who have helped him escape from custody. They attempt a nighttime escape by boat through Sydney Harbour but are forced aground on Pinchgut Island - now much better known as Fort Denison - where they hold hostage the caretaker and his family.

The movie has quite an interesting plot and the acting is quite good. It does fall apart a little towards the end as the plot descends into melodrama and the key question of Ray's innocence or guilt is never resolved.

The interest for me as a child of the 50s in Sydney was seeing scenes of various Sydney locations as they were in my childhood.

Despite being made by the British studio Ealing and containing a number of British actors, the movie was evidently made with the American market in mind. Not only was the star, Aldo Ray, speaking with an American accent but American spelling was used. In one scene a newspaper headline read "Harbor", which is the American spelling. The British and Australian spelling is "Harbour".

Despite its shortcomings, most notably falling into absurdity towards the end, a weak climax and some unresolved issues, the movie held my interest throughout and I can recommend it especially to older Australians for the historical value of the geographical scenes.

"London Live" a U.k. t.v. channel is currently showing Ealing films daily from 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.I managed to see this film which was new to me despite having seen many films especially produced by Ealing.No it is not one of their comedies but is in the serious gangster genre set on location in Sydney, Australia.Other reviewers have outlined the plot so I won't repeat it.The only British actors I could identify were 1.Richard Vernon 2. Heather Sears. 3.Victor Maddern and U.S. actor Aldo Ray, the latter because he acted in some UK TV programmes.

American actors have great trouble with Australian accents.At first, as I missed the beginning, it was not clear why American robbers were in Australia.Were they supposed to be playing Aussies?This is one of the few Australian films to be shown on U.K. t.v.as we are more familiar with their "soaps" on t.v. e.g. "Home & Away" & "Neighbours".As this film was produced in 1959 the moral code was still in force so I knew the wanted men would get caught or receive their comeuppance.Watchable I gave it 6/10.