The
directorial debut of Seth Holt (best known for his work on a handful
of classic Hammer films), Nowhere to Go is as
far removed from the traditional Ealing Film as you can get. A
company whose movies – comedy or drama – tended to
take place in a rather twee, nostalgic (even for the time) version
of Britain, Ealing were on heir last legs when they produced this
remarkably gritty, dark slice of Film Noir, which is notably lacking
in sentiment or middle class sensibilities. As such, it's been
unfairly overlooked in the history of the company, but it's one
of their best works.
George Nader – unfortunately best known for Robot
Monster but here given a performance light years
away from that - is Canadian conman Paul Gregory, who carries
out a slick operation against a wealthy old woman (Bessie Love)
and allows himself to get caught, figuring the most he'll get
is five years and will then be free to pick up his £55,000
(which is 1958 was no small sum). But he's actually given a ten
year sentence, and that's just the start of his troubles. He manages
to arrange a prison escape, but from that point onwards, anything
that could go wrong goes. His attempts to collect the cash from
a safety deposit box and escape out of the country are thwarted
by double-crossing accomplices and the police, who are all on
the look out for Britain's Most Wanted.
Even by Noir standards, Gregory is spectacularly unlucky –
he accidentally kills someone in what could be a movie first (death
by choking on false teeth!), is continually caught out when trying
to lie low and is unable to even steal a bicycle without getting
shot. It's impossible not to feel sympathy for him as his carefully
planned, simple and straightforward con job spirals completely
out of control.
Holt directs with a steady hand that belies his lack of experience,
crafting a tense and gripping thriller that moves steadily towards
the inevitably grim finale. Nader is excellent as the small time
criminal who finds himself with no place to hide, and the supporting
cast – Maggie Smith in her movie debut, Bernard Lee as a
seedy villain – are excellent. Paul Beeson's cinematography
is excellent, and the jazz score by Dizzy Reece is astonishingly
good. This new release sees the film restored to its full 100
minute length – the original release having been shorn of
20 minutes by distributors MGM so it could be thrown away on the
bottom half of a double bill.
Fans of Noir and British crime dramas should need no encouragement
to snap this up. But more casual film viewers looking for a quality
slice of British cinema should also seek out this underrated and
excellent movie.
The
directorial debut of Seth Holt (best known for his work on a handful
of classic Hammer films), Nowhere to Go is as
far removed from the traditional Ealing Film as you can get. A
company whose movies – comedy or drama – tended to
take place in a rather twee, nostalgic (even for the time) version
of Britain, Ealing were on heir last legs when they produced this
remarkably gritty, dark slice of Film Noir, which is notably lacking
in sentiment or middle class sensibilities. As such, it's been
unfairly overlooked in the history of the company, but it's one
of their best works. 
Even by Noir standards, Gregory is spectacularly unlucky –
he accidentally kills someone in what could be a movie first (death
by choking on false teeth!), is continually caught out when trying
to lie low and is unable to even steal a bicycle without getting
shot. It's impossible not to feel sympathy for him as his carefully
planned, simple and straightforward con job spirals completely
out of control. 