Dateline Diamonds

There's a song in this i wish I could get on cd first taste of love by rey Anton love this film l was 4 when it came out I got it on DVD they should have had a soundtrack released love all the pirate radio scenes as I love sixties music love a lot of these great sixties musicals great all star cast kenneth cope William lucks patsy Rowlands just three of the great cast the chantells and a great early appearance of Kiki dee

You're unlikely to come across this movie unless you're a) a big fan of the Small Faces, b) a connoisseur of British B-pictures, or c) an insomniac. However, should an opportunity to see DATELINE DIAMONDS present itself to you, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half, such as watching Birmingham City FC.

The plot manages to encompass diamond smuggling, '60s music, international police co-operation, safe-cracking, pirate radio, and the frantic plugging of as many different bands as the running time would permit.

There is the customary fun to be had spotting various British actors and actresses although I, as a David Hemmings fan, was disappointed to discover he wasn't in it (unless it was literally a blink-and-you'll-miss-him appearance). There is also quite a well detailed sequence where the chief bounder breaks into a safe in, where else, Hatton Garden.

My wife said "it's so bad, it's good", but it was so bad it was dreadful.

The music aspect was just embarrassing and The Chantells "performing" on Radio London must be one of the most cringeworthy scenes I have ever seen.

The crime story was also absurd. The break in (that should be walk in) of the jewellers and the blowing of the safe was just ridiculous.

Don't waste your time, even for a glimpse of the very early days of The Small Faces and a fresh faced Kenny Everett.

An otherwise nifty heist caper... with an agenda to promote the British band SMALL FACES... has two fitting actors, old and young, both having starred in several crime b-pictures, beginning with William Lucas, who played every incarnation of criminal... from cold-blooded to cowardly from THE BREAK to CALCULATED RISK to PAYROLL... and the intensely vulnerable Kenneth Cope from JUNGLE STREET, THE CONVICT and THE DAMNED...

Herein, Cope is the crooked manager of the band, and Lucas has his number... an intense actor never using costumes but here he resembles Inspector Clouseau if originally cast Peter Ustinov played him more straight, and his anti-chemistry with the younger Cope works surprisingly well... yet they mostly work together by remaining apart...

One scene shows Lucas stealing the diamonds, practically in real-time, step-by-step for a suspenseful ten-minutes where it seems anything can happen, especially with detective duo Conrad Phillips and George Mikell garnering more sporadic screen-time than the first-billed crooks: but what's supposed to matter is a rushed ending where the band plays a song or two, and the previous dirty work means nothing...

A shame because the terrifically pulpy-titled DATELINE DIAMONDS ultimately wastes a potentially good villain AND cop duo, entangled in an interesting plot... all so a music group could get a number one hit, which never panned-out: at least not because of this mostly forgotten programmer.

I did! I'm a great fan of 60s music but the Small Faces are a huge part of the build up and a minor part of the film. It's "interesting" to watch Kiki Dee, The Chantelles and other pop "legends" but this is not a musical (in fact it's probably best to shut your eyes and ears when most of the music is on!).

The plot is, actually, not bad and all of us who are old enough to remember the Pirate Stations will be fascinated to see Big L used as a smuggling drop off point! Pretty predictable plot but the list of British movie stalwarts (Kenneth Cope, Conrad Phillips, William Lucas etc.) and Kenny Everett (wonderful to see him in 1965) make this a B movie that deserves an "average rating".

If you like 60s stuff then step this way!