THE OCTOBER MAN is a film interesting for helping shape two lengthy cinematic careers. The first is of leading man John Mills, here playing a taciturn character complete with head injury who finds himself suspected of a crime he didn't commit; a classic "wronged man" performance driven by desperation and audience sympathy. The second is of director Roy Ward Baker, progressing from early shorts to his first full feature; he would of course go on to be associated with Hammer Films for much of his career and he put out many entertaining pictures over the years. This is one of them. It's not a perfect film, feeling a little dated in the genteel first half which don't feature much conflict and takes a little too long to get to the main story, although the narrative gets more interesting and involved as it goes on and the lively climax is a real winner.
Review of The October Man
