Manchester
Police Inspector Harry Martineau (Stanley Baker) is very
disappointed to see that Don Starling, the criminal he worked to put
away, has escaped. Starling returns to Manchester that night and meets
up with his old comrades - needing money for a fake passport and to get
out of the country, he persuades them to carry out a quick robbery
the next day against a betting shop clerk taking the money to the bank.
After she dies in the robbery attempt the police are on their tail and
might just have a useful clue to track the culprits down - but things
become complicated when Starling turns to help from his old flame,
Chloe Hawkins - wife of the betting shop owner...
Scripted by Val Guest and based on a novel by former Manchester police man Maurice Procter, Hell is a City is
well scripted from start to finish crafting a tense but always
believable film. The atmosphere is very authentic throughout, aided by
the film's very strong dialogue and believable characters - everyone in
the story is human from the cop to the villlain, all flawed in their
own ways. A particular suprise is the depiction of Hawkins, who in many
other films would have been shown as a heartless tycoon, but here
he is just a hard working businessman who has real sympathy for the
family of the dead girl. Starling avoids becoming a simply 'evil' man
and his violence always has a purpose - the over-the-top violent
extremes of the 1970s crime films (particularly the European entries)
are not present here and it does make the occasional violence even more
poignant.
A number of interesting story threads help to add some
good backgrounds to the characters, from Martineau's problems with his wife and
the affection towards him from Lucky, to the obviously collapsing
relationship between Hawkins and his wife - they are all kept in the
background and do not interfere with the main story but simply add an
additional layer to the characters and make the whole story even more
believable. These background details were common in 1960s Brit-crime but Hell is a City sees probably their most effective use. The pacing is very brisk
throughout - certainly, no time is wasted getting to the robbery - but it avoids becoming rushed and builds up to an
incredibly tense climax with a fitting conclusion. A neat epilogue adds a curious closing note to the film.
Val Guest has
excelled with Hammer's sci-fi series during the 1950s with a straight
forward shooting style that he refered to as being news-reel quality.
He brings that assured style to Hell is a City
and it works well with the script to bring Underworld Manchester
of the 1960s to life. Extensive use of real locations, both in the city
and the moors, helps to emphasise this realism. The soundtrack is
particularly effective - a contemporary jazz score from musician
Stanley Black.
Stanley
Baker was becoming one of Britain's favourite stars at the turn of the
decade despite his tough demenour and frequent villaneous roles that
were a strong contrast to the usual heroic leading players of the era.
Here
he takes the lead role and looks every part the policeman with a
good solid Northern accent. American actor John Crawford as the villain
and Donald Pleasence in an early performance both do sterling work
while
Billie Whitelaw gives a good turn as Hawkin's wife. A
few recognisable Hammer faces crop up including Peter Madden (The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)) and Charles Huston (The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964)).
An
incredibly realistic and gritty look at underworld Manchester life is
created by Val Guest's solid script and assured direction and helped
by a selection of strong performances from all concerned. Hammer fans
who enjoy the studio's non-horror works might be interested in this and
it certainly comes recommended to fans of Val Guest and highly
recommended to fans of British cinema and 1960s crime films.
In
Brief
Anyone
famous in it?
Stanley Baker - the hardened Welsh actor who came to fame with this film and Campbell's Kingdom (1957) Donald Pleasence - an early film role for the future star of Halloween (1978) and THX 1138 (1971)
Directed by anyone
interesting?
Val Guest - a regular director for Hammer in the late 1950s he worked on their early sci-fi sucess The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and the grim war film Yesterday's Enemy (1959)
Any gore or violence ?
Some fight scenes, nothing particularly violent.
Any sex?
A fleeting topless scene from Billie Whitelaw - nothing seen.
Who is it for?
Fans of Stanley Baker and Brit-crime will certainly enjoy this and of interest to Hammer fans.
The
DVD
Visuals
Original
Aspect Ratio - 2.35:1 widescreen. Anamorphically enhanced. Black and White. A strong print with mild grain and some damage but plenty of detail throughout.
Audio
Original English mono - sounds fine.
Subtitles
None.
Extras
This disc includes:
Audio
commentary with writer/director Val Guest and Hammer scholar Ted
Newsom. Guest remembers a lot about the film and there are some
interesting facts and details.
Alternative
ending - a different version of the epilogue that gives a very
different tone to the end of the film. Includes optional audio commentary wth Guest and Newsom. (6
minutes)
Original theatrical trailer.
Text bios of Stanley Baker and Val Guest.
The DVD box also includes a postcard poster with chapter listings.
Region
Region 1
(USA, North America) - NTSC
Availability
Like all of the Anchor Bay US Hammer releases, this title is now out-of-print.
Other regions?
A Cinema Club UK release includes a similar print and the trailer/alternate ending but no commentaries.
Cuts?
The film is believed to be fully uncut. English language print.
Summary
A gritty and realistic look at the British criminal scene - well written, directed and acted it comes recommended.
A
good looking and sounding print with a very interesting audio commentary.
