Writers: John Guillermin, Peter De Sarigny, Alun Falconer
Composer: John Barry
Starring: Richard Todd, Peter Sellers, Elizabeth Sellars, Adam Faith, Carol White, Mervyn Johns, Noel Willman, David Lodge, Peter Jones, John Bailey, Nigel Stock, John Le Mesurier
More info: IMDb
Tagline: A new Peter Sellers - TOUGH and RUTHLESS!
Plot: A cosmetic salesman sets out to prove to himself and his wife that he is not a failure.
My rating: 7.5/10
Will I watch it again? Maybe.
So, is Peter Sellers "tough and ruthless"? Well, I guess if you consider that people knew him as a comedic actor and that this might've been the first dramatic role they saw him in...then, yes. But even though he's got a couple of harsh, violent moments, this picture could've used a couple more for good measure. Then you consider this was made nearly sixty years ago and the pendulum swings back to "yes". This being British, the performances are naturally very good. The draw is naturally Sellers but he's surrounded by quality performers that it's easy for him to just be one of the many without sticking out and that's a good thing. The story moves nicely and it's always engaging. There's a big boss fight at the end that's handled very well. The action here is filmed like it should be, with lingering medium shots to give you a full view of the fight without cheating like they do now with lots of quick, close images. The editing during this fight was also well done and the ending that follows was nicely handled. I don't recall seeing Richard Todd in anything else before but it turns out I've seen several of his pictures. I've been a big fan of director Guillermin's work for some time now. His TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE (1959) is my favorite Tarzan picture. His catalog is one I'd like to see in its entirety. This film is also notable for being Bond composer's first score. It comes loaded with brass and excitement. Check this one out.
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