A kidnapper called Marlow (Robert Shaw) abducts a little boy, Jonathan (Piers Bishop), the son of wealthy city businessman called Anthony Chester (Alec Clunes). Marlow locks Jonathan in the bedroom of an empty house and gives him a soft toy, which has a time bomb sewn inside of it set to go off at ten o' clock the following morning. Marlow drives to Chester's house and calmly makes his demands. He wants fifty-thousand-pounds and he tells the distraught father that on payment he will catch a plane to Rio and that when he arrives he will telephone him and let him know where his son is being held giving the police plenty of time to deactivate the bomb. However, a struggle ensues between Chester and Marlow causing the latter to fall and crack his head, which sends him into a coma. When he later dies in hospital, Inspector Parnell (John Gregson) and Sergeant Grey (Kenneth Cope) must race against time to find the boy in time before the bomb goes off tomorrow at ten!
Tense b-pic tautly directed by Lance Comfort who was a true veteran of this area of the British film industry. It moves at a cracking pace and the situations in James Kelley and Peter Millar's screenplay allow a lot in the way of suspense, which Comfort exploits admirably racking it up to high levels at times. Unlike many of the mediocre b-pics that came out at the time, Tomorrow At Ten seeks to be a little more individual by placing some emphasis on character. But due to the limitations of its short running time much of it is not worked out beyond the very superficial i.e. Gregson's detective inspector who attempts to break Marlow and make him give up the whereabouts of the boy by probing the guy's character in Chester's front room. Sensing that Marlow resents Chester's wealthy lifestyle he exploits this and pleads with him, "It's not the boy's fault let him go." But there are good moments such as Parnell's clash with his superior officer, Assistant Chief Commissioner Bewley (Alan Wheatley), a man who has got to where he is by who he knows and cultivating the right friends. The distraught Chester simply wants to pay the kidnapper off and let him go and as he is friendly with Bewley, he is able to influence things so that he can have Parnell removed from the case. By chance Parnell manages to avoid this but it is he and his sergeant who do all the leg work twenty-four-seven whilst Bewley is never available when they try to contact him with their regular reports on how the case is progressing, which is what he asked for! It transpires that he was out for an evening with his influential friends but at the case's conclusion he naturally appears on the scene to talk to the press and take all the glory. Another joy of watching the film is the better than usual cast on offer here. Gregson is on good form as the police inspector and he gets good support from Kenneth Cope as his sergeant and Alec Clunes (father of Martin Clunes) is noteworthy as the father as is Alan Wheatley, a versatile character actor, as Assistant Commissioner Bewley. But we must not forget to mention Robert Shaw as Marlow who within a year of appearing in this would be well on the way to international stardom with his portrayal of psychotic Bond villain Donovan Grant in From Russia With Love.
Overall, Tomorrow At Ten, is a b-pic that is above the standard people normally associate these kind of films although it is not without its weaknesses such as the characterisations that are not worked out beyond the superficial form. But good performances from the excellent cast, taut direction from Lance Comfort that keeps the suspense coming ensures that the viewer gets good entertainment value from it.
Tense b-pic tautly directed by Lance Comfort who was a true veteran of this area of the British film industry. It moves at a cracking pace and the situations in James Kelley and Peter Millar's screenplay allow a lot in the way of suspense, which Comfort exploits admirably racking it up to high levels at times. Unlike many of the mediocre b-pics that came out at the time, Tomorrow At Ten seeks to be a little more individual by placing some emphasis on character. But due to the limitations of its short running time much of it is not worked out beyond the very superficial i.e. Gregson's detective inspector who attempts to break Marlow and make him give up the whereabouts of the boy by probing the guy's character in Chester's front room. Sensing that Marlow resents Chester's wealthy lifestyle he exploits this and pleads with him, "It's not the boy's fault let him go." But there are good moments such as Parnell's clash with his superior officer, Assistant Chief Commissioner Bewley (Alan Wheatley), a man who has got to where he is by who he knows and cultivating the right friends. The distraught Chester simply wants to pay the kidnapper off and let him go and as he is friendly with Bewley, he is able to influence things so that he can have Parnell removed from the case. By chance Parnell manages to avoid this but it is he and his sergeant who do all the leg work twenty-four-seven whilst Bewley is never available when they try to contact him with their regular reports on how the case is progressing, which is what he asked for! It transpires that he was out for an evening with his influential friends but at the case's conclusion he naturally appears on the scene to talk to the press and take all the glory. Another joy of watching the film is the better than usual cast on offer here. Gregson is on good form as the police inspector and he gets good support from Kenneth Cope as his sergeant and Alec Clunes (father of Martin Clunes) is noteworthy as the father as is Alan Wheatley, a versatile character actor, as Assistant Commissioner Bewley. But we must not forget to mention Robert Shaw as Marlow who within a year of appearing in this would be well on the way to international stardom with his portrayal of psychotic Bond villain Donovan Grant in From Russia With Love.
Overall, Tomorrow At Ten, is a b-pic that is above the standard people normally associate these kind of films although it is not without its weaknesses such as the characterisations that are not worked out beyond the superficial form. But good performances from the excellent cast, taut direction from Lance Comfort that keeps the suspense coming ensures that the viewer gets good entertainment value from it.