I Became a Criminal (1947)
"They Made Me a Fugitive" (original title)

In this gritty film noir, cynical ex-RAF flyer Morgan, bored with civilian life, joins a break-in gang led by Narcy. On his first job, the getaway car crashes after killing a policeman. ... See full summary »

Director:

Alberto Cavalcanti

Writers:

Jackson Budd (novel), Noel Langley (screenplay)

Stars:

Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Griffith Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Gray	...	Sally Connor
Trevor Howard	...	George Clement 'Clem' Morgan
Griffith Jones	...	Narcy
René Ray	...	Cora (as Rene Ray)
Mary Merrall	...	Aggie
Charles Farrell	...	Curley
Michael Brennan	...	Jim
Jack McNaughton	...	Soapy
Cyril Smith	...	Bert
John Penrose	...	Shawney
Eve Ashley	...	Ellen
Phyllis Robins	...	Olga
Bill O'Connor	...	Bill
Maurice Denham	...	Mr. Fenshaw
Vida Hope	...	Mrs. Fenshaw

Storyline

In this gritty film noir, cynical ex-RAF flyer Morgan, bored with civilian life, joins a break-in gang led by Narcy. On his first job, the getaway car crashes after killing a policeman. Morgan is framed as the driver and sent to jail. Seeking revenge, he escapes and heads for London. Along the way he's helped by a woman (Mrs. Fenshaw), who wants him to murder her husband. In London, Morgan is sheltered by Sally, who falls in love with him. He confronts Narcy and the gang in an abandoned warehouse. Brazilian Director Cavalcanti's crime drama should not be confused with the totally unrelated "They Made Me a Criminal" (1939).

---

Plot Keywords:

gang | policeman | murder | getaway car | framed | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Became a Criminal

Filming Locations:

Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.R. Shipman Productions, Alliance Films Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first feature film of Michael Brennan.

---

Soundtracks

"Caress Me"
(uncredited)
Performed on-stage by Phyllis Robins and others

User Reviews

Noir Sleeper

A British noir as good as the definitive ones being turned out in the States by such consensus masters as Mann, Dassin, and Lewis, to name three. And what about that great ending that still leaves me flabbergasted. Three cheers for a British cinema that apparently was able to operate without the albatross of a Production Code and still not wreck the nation's moral fiber. Needless to say, those final few minutes would never have been allowed Stateside where the scales of justice always triumphed, no matter how the world really works.

Then too, consider the household Howard stumbles into by accident, where the zoned out housewife is only too eager to perforate her boozy hubby. One look at that demented visage and she's a lot scarier than any of the professionals. No wonder Howard flees back to the safety of London's underworld. This may also be the cheapest electricity bill on record since the brightest sound-stage bulb checks in at about 60 watts—they don't call it "noir" for nothing. And keep an ear cocked for some of the snappiest dialogue this side of Dashiel Hammett, especially from that old crone Aggie, who, I shudder to think, might actually be somebody's grandmother.

Not that everything is roses. Some of the set-ups operate only at a stretch. For example, Howard's aim with a milk bottle should have him pitching for the Yankees. And he does it with such casual flair, you'd never guess his life is on the line. Nonetheless, the movie's a real sleeper and should have been exported to our shores a lot sooner. I expect, that daring finale would have inspired our own filmmakers to greater sneaky lengths in subverting the dead hand of Hollywood censorship.