PAYROLL

 

It's time to delve into Kino's BRIT NOIR COLLECTION III Blu-ray set, which as in the first two sets features three black & white British crime films from the 1950s and 60s. Today I'll be discussing PAYROLL, a 1961 armored car robbery story that made a big impression on me. 

The first part of PAYROLL details the planning and implementation of the robbery, and the second half of the story deals with the repercussions of the crime, as a downward spiral of greed and mistrust causes those involved in the plot to destroy themselves. 

The main man behind the robbery, Johnny Mellors (Michael Craig), is a cold-blooded and calculating fellow who thinks he can figure a way out of any situation--but he gets upended by a couple of females who can be as cold-blooded and calculating as he is. One of them is the wife (Francoise Prevost) of the weak accountant (William Lucas) who acts as the "inside man" for the heist by providing the robbers with plans to the armored car. Johnny is having an affair with this woman. The other lady is the widow (Billie Whitelaw) of the armored car driver, who was killed during the robbery. The widow doesn't become a grieving victim--she takes it upon herself to find out who was behind it, and she's very clever in how she helps instigate the downfall of the gang responsible. 

PAYROLL was excellently directed by Sidney Hayers, and its fine script was written by George Baxt. The movie plays out as a sort of working-class, low-budget version of HEAT. Much of the film was shot at locations in and around Newcastle, and the story has a realistic, gritty look to it. (It's notable to have a British movie involving a big heist not taking place in London.) PAYROLL is filled with plenty of suspenseful sequences, and all sorts of twists and turns. The production is backed by a really snazzy music score by Reg Owen, a score I'd love to find on CD or LP. 

The acting in PAYROLL is top-notch all across the board. The lack of big names is actually a plus in a story like this one. Michael Craig's Johnny has handsome looks and a surface charm, but he's also someone who won't hesitate to stab anyone in the back to get what he wants. The members of Johnny's gang are played by Tom Bell, Kenneth Griffith, and Barry Keegan. Francoise Prevost and Billie Whitelaw (who is particularly memorable here) are two women determined to get the results they desire, while William Lucas plays a role that no doubt would have been essayed by Elisha Cook Jr. had this movie been made in America. 

Kino presents PAYROLL in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, and the visual quality is very sharp. I had never seen this film before --I had not even heard of it--and I have to say I was quite taken with it. It's fast-paced, well-edited, and it keeps the viewer hooked. I believe it holds up to any American crime thrillers made during the same period, and I'd even go so far to say that out of all the features I have watched on all of Kino's BRIT NOIR COLLECTION sets so far, this is the best one overall.