Diagonaldi Very well executed

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Leofwine_draca An excellent and unfairly maligned Hammer film production, made during the period when Hammer were still updating the old horror movie classics with their own versions. THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL is an old-fashioned film for Hammer, in that it focuses more on characters and strong acting rather than the bloodshed and special effects that previous adaptations of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and Dracula included (not to demean them in any way). Director Terence Fisher, one of the best of the studio, brings life and vitality to the film which despite a lack of action is never boring thanks to the gripping script and strong characters. Once again the production values are excellent, with an accurate and convincing portrayal of Victorian London in which the locations and costumes are immaculate. The music is also great and helps add to the overall experience.Although the plot is literate and focuses on the psychology of Jekyll's character, that's not to mean it isn't exciting at all. Indeed there are some wonderful set-pieces and powerful moments as the climax draws close, with a murder, a spectacular suicide through the roof of a ball room, an excellent inferno and the conclusion, which thanks to Massie's acting is also really something to be seen. Massie plays both Jekyll and Hyde in the film to good effect, with the twist being that Jekyll is a dark, bearded and brooding scientist with bushy eyebrows whereas Hyde is a clean-shaven and handsome cad, a hit with the ladies at the local club. Although a relative unknown - this was his only horror role - Massie really delivers a tragic performance of a man with two personalities trapped inside his own, and I loved the ending moments where both Jekyll and Hyde argue inside his body as each struggles with the other for control. I'd even go so far to say that Massie rivals Frederic March's previously peerless performance in the leading role.THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL also boasts a strong supporting cast, with good performances from Dawn Addams as Jekyll's unfaithful wife, and in particular Christopher Lee who has a ball at portraying a completely ruthless and evil vice-ridden man. Francis De Wolff is an investigating policeman and David Kossoff a friend of the family who tries unsuccessfully to help out. Bit parts also go to Oliver Reed, in one of his first as a club member who tries to make trouble and ends up being clubbed over the head, and Joe Robinson as a boxer (what else?). An interesting point has been made that not one character in this film is without fault, and that each of the three (or is that four?) leading characters are each as selfish as each other and get what they deserve. With a premise like that, there's no escaping a tragic conclusion but this film offers a powerful and gripping ride in getting to that conclusion. Highly recommended.

BA_Harrison Studying the mind and its locked secrets, brilliant scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie, with facial hair) attempts to separate the two forces that struggle for supremacy in every man: man as he could be, virtuous and noble; and man as he would be, free of moral restrictions. Before he can develop a drug that can take his mind to its higher state, he decides that he must first understand his baser nature, injecting himself with a serum that removes the shackles of decency, transforming himself into the degenerate Mr. Hyde (Paul Massie, without facial hair).The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll treads very familiar ground, but in the hands of seasoned Hammer director Terence Fisher, and with a sterling central performance from Massie, the film still proves a fascinating watch, one of the better movies to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's much-filmed novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Massie handles his dual personality superbly, his internal struggle between good and evil palpable despite the iffy use of a patently fake beard and moustache to visually separate his two personalities (standout scenes see Jekyll arguing with his Hyde persona, reminiscent of Gollum from Lord of the Rings). Lending excellent support are Hammer regular Christopher Lee as debauched philanderer Paul Allen, who shows Hyde the dubious delights to be experienced in Victorian London, and Dawn Addams as Jekyll's deceptive, adulterous wife Kitty.Fisher's bold use of colour ensures that the whole film is a visually arresting treat for the eyes, but his film is also surprisingly daring for the day in terms of content, not shying away from depicting the depths of depravity that man (and woman) can sink to, with adultery, violent robbery, prostitution, drunkenness, rape, addiction, gambling, and murder all present and incorrect, making for a far more entertaining watch (Lee stoned out of his gourd on opium is a rare treat).7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the risqué snake act and the lively can-can dance routine, both of which add extra gratuitous titillation to proceedings.

TheLittleSongbird Hammer were responsible for some of the best films in the genres, some near-classics and an even larger number of very good films. Though, like most studios, they were not without their misses. While I wouldn't go as far to call The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll a miss as such it does disappoint, considering it's directed by Terrence Fisher(who directed some of Hammer's best films) and that it starred Christopher Lee.The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll is a better film than it is reputed to be. It looks great with colourful and atmospheric photography, ravishing use of colour and sumptuous sets and evocative in its period detail. Fisher's direction is not him at his most involved, but he keeps things moving swiftly mostly and he shows great technical assurance and a feel for atmosphere. The music score is hauntingly dramatic, while the script while with its rambling moments is still thought-provoking and flows reasonably well. The film also has such an interesting idea going for it, fair play to the film for giving a much-adapted story an original twist. The story is less than perfect but it still entertains and has some good atmosphere, with the final act evoking some chills, it has some bold themes for the time and the snake charmer dance is unforgettably sensual. There are some good performances with Christopher Lee coming out on top, it is an atypical role for him and he does smarmy, handsome charm and lecherous truly excellently. Dawn Addams shows that she can do more than just being there looking pretty, handling the fiery and meek aspects of her character believably. Look out too for a brief appearance from a young Oliver Reed before he went on to give a riveting lead performance in Hammer's Curse of the Werewolf. Paul Massie, in an uneven dual performance rather than a good or bad one, scores far better as Hyde than as Jekyll, he performs Hyde with menace and real gusto if not without the tendency to overdo it at times.Massie disappoints however as Jekyll, he is rather dull and unmotivated, even sounding bored. While the story has its compelling moments and an interesting concept, it doesn't always explain its ideas enough so things did feel under-explained. It also, excepting some of the last act, falls far short in scares and suspense, some of the middle act drags quite badly and the dance hall and Jekyll's guilty emotions outbursts(which had the worst of the rambling) go on for too long and slow the film down.All in all, The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll is better than it's made out to be by some but Hammer have done far better before and since. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Harold_Robbins Like many Hammer Films that were pooh-poohed at the time of their release as exploitational, THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL is much better than its reputation would have you think, and it's surprisingly frank in its depictions of adultery and sexuality. It's well-directed by Terence Fisher, and the sets, costumes, set decorations and cinematography are excellent, making very good use of color (particularly in the Can-Can sequence). Performances are also excellent, particularly Paul Massie in the title roles, though he may seem a bit over-the-top at times. He does an excellent job of differentiating between Jekyll and Hyde, even vocally (though he sounds oddly post-synched in both roles). No, this isn't the foggy, gas-lit London of previous versions of J&H - color more or less ruled that out - but its nevertheless effective in its own way and deserves re-examination.