One of a series of thrillers with Sydney Box's name attached - they all seem to have the same problem: a solid premise, bright ideas, effective moments but go wonky.
This has James Mason at least at his glowering peak. Lawrence Huntington's direction is solid. Pamela Kellino and Rosamund Johns are perhaps second-level but they do the job.
Good premise -driven surgeon Mason falls for married Johns, who then dies mysteriously. He's convinced it was Kellino, kills her, then realises he's mad so kills himself.
I think it was a mistake to not have Johns' husband as a man character. They probably should have had Johns be revealed to be alive. Also it would have been better had Mason been after a man rather than Kellino - it's unpleasant he goes after a woman.
The doctor character who appears at the end is too convenient - it would have been better had he been a friend/colleague of Mason's or something, instead of appearing with this convenient kid who gets injured. The character of Johns' child is under-used.
All the ingredients for a first rate thriller are here but they don't pull it off. Still it was enjoyable.
No comments:
Post a Comment