THE FRIGHTENED CITY

 

Kino Lorber has just released the BRIT NOIR COLLECTION I, a two-disc set containing a trio of British crime thrillers made in the 50s and 60s. The movie I chose to view first was THE FRIGHTENED CITY, a 1961 mob tale starring a pre-Bond Sean Connery. 

The plot of THE FRIGHTENED CITY revolves around corrupt accountant Waldo Zhernikov (Herbert Lom), who comes up with the idea to convince the leaders of six different London criminal gangs to merge all of their protection rackets. To help make sure the blackmail money is collected properly, petty thief Paddy Damion (Sean Connery) is hired, due to the fact that he is tough, but smart. Zhernikov and his shady associates start to rake in the dough, but the accountant gets even more ambitious. Zhernikov uses one of the crime bosses (played by Alfred Marks) to partake in a scheme to put the squeeze on some of London's major companies, which causes consternation among the other mob leaders. The scheme also causes Paddy to question whether his activities are worth doing. 

THE FRIGHTENED CITY is a movie I was not aware of, even though I'm a big Sean Connery fan. It's a decent crime story, with efficient black & white photography by Desmond Dickinson and a jazzy music score by Norrie Paramor (the movie's main theme was successfully covered by The Shadows). The film doesn't have as much action as one would think, and what action there is has a ragged feel to it. This factor does make the story come off as more realistic, even though despite the title, the viewer doesn't believe that London is in a panic mode. (If the production had more of a budget, no doubt we would have seen more criminal violence.) 

I have no idea whether James Bond producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman saw THE FRIGHTENED CITY, but the movie is a great showcase for the talents of a pre-007 Sean Connery. Connery's Paddy isn't a swaggering, brutish enforcer.....he has a quiet self-assurance while still maintaining a "Don't mess with me" vibe. Paddy isn't so much an out-and-out criminal as he is an anti-hero. Paddy also has a belief in "honor among thieves", and his experiences with Zhernikov make him realize that he's working for the wrong people. Paddy also develops a relationship with Zhernikov's nightclub singer mistress (Yvonne Monlaur). As always Monlaur looks stunning, and she and Connery project some major heat together. 

Connery is actually billed behind Herbert Lom and John Gregson, who plays the world-weary Inspector Sayers, a police official determined to find who is behind the city-wide protection scheme. Despite his billing Lom doesn't have all that much screen time--his Zhernikov is a clever (and shady) upper-class type who would rather control things behind the scenes instead of being upfront and getting his hands dirty. Like just about every British film made in the 50s and 60s, THE FRIGHTENED CITY has a fine supporting cast, with the likes of Alfred Marks, George Pastell, and Kenneth Griffiths. 

John Lemont co-wrote and directed THE FRIGHTENED CITY, which may shock some people, since Lemont is probably best known today for making KONGA! Despite the low budget Lemont keeps THE FRIGHTENED CITY rolling along, and he knows enough to keep the focus on Sean Connery. I wouldn't call this movie a hard-boiled noir, but it is an effective and entertaining crime story that proves even before he became James Bond Sean Connery could carry a feature. 

I plan on writing blog posts on the other two films included in this set. Kino also has two other Brit Noir Collections set for release this year. Whether all the movies that will be in them actually qualify as "noir" is debatable, but at least Kino is releasing a number of titles that most Americans (such as myself) have not been exposed to.