Nowhere to Go (1958)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Seth Holt

Writers:

Seth Holt (writer)
Donald MacKenzie (novel)

Release Date:

11 March 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

...except into a woman's arms!

Plot:

Paul Gregory is sprung from jail in London by his accomplice after getting a stretch as expected for robbing a woman who falls for his charms...

Plot Keywords:

Ealing | Gangster | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

George Nader	...	Paul Gregory
Maggie Smith	...	Bridget Howard
Bernard Lee	...	Victor Sloane, alias Lee Henderson
Geoffrey Keen	...	Inspector Scott
Bessie Love	...	Harriet P. Jefferson
Harry H. Corbett	...	Sullivan
Andree Melly	...	Rosa, cocktail waitress

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

The Best Laid Plans

This is an offering from Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios which was probably not one of the premier British studios. That is one reason I was so surprised at the quality of the story and the production values. It was made during a period where the Brits tended to imitate most things American. The cars, the clothes, the movies, even the music. And then came Carnaby Street and the Beatles.

The story revolves around a American thief in London, played by George Nader, who was probably at the nadir of his career. I checked his credits and about this time he drifted into TV and then on to Germany and the rest of Europe, keeping busy in forgettable movies. His performance in this movie was low key, but really slick. He plays a professional who cons an old lady out of a valuable coin collection and spends the rest of the movie trying to cash it in and split. One by one his shady friends turn on him until he ends up a hunted man ducking for cover at every turn. He is eventually forced to rely on a virtual stranger he meets accidentally. She is played by a young and very interesting Maggie Smith. In fact I didn't even recognize her until the credits rolled.

This story was well written. Tight and tense. The performances were top notch, and the atmosphere had a very noir feel to it, even though a lot of it was shot in daylight. I don't know why George Nader's star waned. You couldn't predict it from his performance here.