Yet another great edgy gangster performance from Richard Widmark, good cinematography especially atmospheric location shooting in London and pacy direction by Jules Dassin all make for a very watchable film.
Yet as at least one other reviewer has remarked, the script is disappointing. The book on which this is based shares none of the pacyness of the film however what it offers, and is missing in the film, is both the depth of the characters as well as the coherence of the story.
The author Kersh's skill was in building the Harry Fabian character - a nasty small time pimp and hustler who lives off the earnings of his trusting and loving "ho" girlfriend yet when he has a sudden need for extra money Harry is prepared to sell her outright for cash to a shadowy trafficker without her knowledge. Also in the book the essential point is that Harry is English not American. He is a low-rent denizen of London's Soho, compulsively making out to stranger and even to those who know him, that he is a big shot from the American Mob come over to look for business opportunities. Harry, the fantasist, derives his fantasies from the American gangster movies of the time - the book is set in 1936, their heyday. In truth he's just a sweaty little man in a coat with shoulders several sizes too big for him like his ideas and his talk. This time the big idea is wrestling promotion and with money he's taken from his woman as well as some blackmailed from one of her vulnerable clients he can, for a short while at least, flash the cash and fool the more gullible.
The Harry of the book with his seediness, parasitic way of life, his fantasies and his paper-thin charm did not attract beautiful women (such as Jean Tierney in the film) or sharp worldly-wise gold-digging former hostess (the Googie Withers character). The Harry of the book is forever looking for a new "mark" - woman or man and forever trying to outrun the many hostages to Fortune he has created on the way. He knows and we know that at any moment the roof is bound to crash in.
Yet as at least one other reviewer has remarked, the script is disappointing. The book on which this is based shares none of the pacyness of the film however what it offers, and is missing in the film, is both the depth of the characters as well as the coherence of the story.
The author Kersh's skill was in building the Harry Fabian character - a nasty small time pimp and hustler who lives off the earnings of his trusting and loving "ho" girlfriend yet when he has a sudden need for extra money Harry is prepared to sell her outright for cash to a shadowy trafficker without her knowledge. Also in the book the essential point is that Harry is English not American. He is a low-rent denizen of London's Soho, compulsively making out to stranger and even to those who know him, that he is a big shot from the American Mob come over to look for business opportunities. Harry, the fantasist, derives his fantasies from the American gangster movies of the time - the book is set in 1936, their heyday. In truth he's just a sweaty little man in a coat with shoulders several sizes too big for him like his ideas and his talk. This time the big idea is wrestling promotion and with money he's taken from his woman as well as some blackmailed from one of her vulnerable clients he can, for a short while at least, flash the cash and fool the more gullible.
The Harry of the book with his seediness, parasitic way of life, his fantasies and his paper-thin charm did not attract beautiful women (such as Jean Tierney in the film) or sharp worldly-wise gold-digging former hostess (the Googie Withers character). The Harry of the book is forever looking for a new "mark" - woman or man and forever trying to outrun the many hostages to Fortune he has created on the way. He knows and we know that at any moment the roof is bound to crash in.