The Frightened City (1961) John Lemont
Squint and you will see that Paddy is a baby Sean Connery!
Noir seems to be following me. Maybe you can tell by the title, The Frightened City (1961) doesn’t take place in New York or L.A. This polite mobster film takes place in London. There are gangs all over extorting protection money from businesses. The money man behind it all has the bright idea to consolidate and cooperate and make everyone a lot of money. It can’t be the usual thugs doing the job, you need a thug with a brain and there we meet Paddy Damion, a former cat burglar who has people he cares about that need to be taken care of and he needs the money to do that. Squint and you will see that Paddy is a baby Sean Connery! There are some honest cops from the Flying Squad on their tail. Will they get to the money man? Who can you trust? Is there really honor among thieves?
If you like movies with huge ideas and a director who expects you to keep up, watch High and Low next. Kurosawa isn’t bending time, but he is every bit as precise about what the camera shows you and how every piece of a thriller fits together. Read the review →
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