Nowhere to Go

A British film noir from 1958. With no irony in sight I just happened to watch this film, directed by Seth Holt (his debut), after seeing Blood from the Mummy's Tomb which might've been his last (he died in '71) so I think the film gods were a-smiling. Anyway, a man is broken out of prison & hopes to collect his booty from a recent theft that he has stashed in a safe deposit locker. Efficient, professional & utterly stoic, this Canadian expat uses his Blighty connections to create an out for him when he finally collects his due w/papers & a boat waiting for him to leave the country but his plans go to pot when his handler betrays him for more money setting in motion a series of crosses & double crosses which hound him to the end. An 'on the edge of your seat' vim runs through this picture which never fails to upend expectations when we think one thing & another happens. Look for Maggie Smith (in her film debut) & 2 future Bond actors, Bernard Lee (M in all of the Bond films until 1981) & Geoffrey Keen (who also was one of Bond's higher-ups).