Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Jackie Scott-Mandeville As a post-war British movie, this has it all in terms of story and setting. The backdrop in the stark, bomb-site ridden City of London, centred round the old docks by Tower Bridge, brings home the reality of everyday privations in a period of austerity before the gradual economic recovery during the 1950s. Good acting across the board from Bonar Colleano to Max Adrian. I liked Colleano in the Way to the Stars and he is just as convincing in this thriller, one of the better examples of the British (Ealing) crime film of the period.I can see why it is sometimes called 'noir' but I think that's more to do with the effective cinematography than the storyline, which is enhanced in interest by including a Jamaican seaman. sympathetically played by Earl Cameron. As another commentator said, it is nice to see that he has consistently acted until today.I appreciated the comments from admirers of this film who were involved in the film-making, and lived in the area where it was filmed. These kind of comments help make IMDb the informative and interesting film site it is; thank you to them.Thoroughly enjoyed this film and recommend it to anyone interested in this crucial period of British film-making.

writers_reign American born Bonar Colleano carved out a more or less successful career in British films - even, improbably, starring opposite Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire on the London stage. Despite that prestigious credit he wasn't really leading man material and despite his top billing here it is more of an ensemble piece. Basil Dearden may well have had a bee about Race in his bonnet as he explored the subject again in Sapphire and utilised Earl Cameron - the token black man in this movie - yet again. If anything this is yet another reminder that Ealing did more than churn out comedies. Susan Shaw, who married Colleano, tried her hand at a 'good' girl for a change, having established herself as more or less the opposite in such films as It Always Rains On Sunday. Max Adrian is hopelessly miscast as an acrobat turned burglar and the best performance comes from Renee Asherson. Today its main interest is in its location shooting in a long-vanished London.

Space_Mafune A crewman and part-time petty smuggler named Dan MacDonald suddenly finds himself a leading suspect in both murder and a diamond robbery when he agrees to unknowingly smuggle the wrong item for the wrong people. There's a great build-up of suspense towards the end with both Scotland Yard and the real robbers on the trail of Mr. MacDonald.This film is pretty unique--one of its best features is Earl Cameron as Johnny Lambert, the sole black crewman on board ship and MacDonald's very good friend. The level of friendship between these two men is refreshing to see in a film from 1951. Also a potential romance between Johnny and a wonderful white girl (named Pat) he meets nearly blooms and we are made to feel sympathetic to their desires (at this period in time deemed inappropriate by many) as an audience. There are a number of entertaining characters in this film. Unique is that one of the robbers is actually an acrobat and makes use of it in the robbery.The film has a very realistic feel to it-like something which could possibly have happened and the words written for characters to utter here is very thoughtful and reflective. An underrated film.

bob4kate This is a much overlooked and underrated Ealing gem. It features fine performances by Bonar Colleano and Earl Cameron as his friend and ship-mate. Cameron's performance is an important and groundbreaking one for a black actor in a British movie. The location shots of post-war London are wonderful. I thoroughly commend this movie