Cross Channel (1955) User Reviews

Cross Channel 1955

[silvershadows-09863 · 6/10 · 30 July 2020]

Wayne Morris stars as an American, Tex Parker, who operates a boat charter in England. Tex fought in England during the war and stayed on after it was over. He is in for some bad luck when Carrick (Michael Golden) hires his boat. Tex becomes innocently involved with a gang of smugglers. Carrick and Platt (Patrick Allen) work for mastermind Dagoff (Carl Jaffe). Platt double crosses his partners, framing Tex for his misdeeds. The plan is to kill Tex, so no one can dispute Platt's double cross. Along the way Tex is helped by a French fishing boat and through them he meets a beautiful woman (Yvonne Furneaux).

I like Wayne Morris and I like British B' films. But the 6 score I gave this film is very generous. The film is rather flat in spots. The fights scenes are a bit of a muddle and not convincing. The romantic subplot is a bit of a stretch. There are some beautiful exterior shots, but mixed in with some really cheap looking sets. And although I like the plot, the dialogue does seem clumsy at times. It's not a boring film, certainly not a disaster. I would definitely watch it again. Just don't expect everyone's best work.

Double crosses and missed punches

[wilvram · 6/10 · 4 July 2020]

One of several supporting features made by Republic Pictures in England in the mid Fifties, this stars the likable Wayne Morris as a charter-boat skipper becoming innocently involved with a gang of double-dealing smugglers, and meeting the glamorous Yvonne Furneaux. Photography is above average and R.G. Springsteen's direction, ensuring the picture doesn't drag, efficient, save in several poorly staged fight scenes. A youngish Patrick Allen is faintly risible as a trilby-hatted gun-toting thug.

Double Trouble

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 3 July 2020]

An extremely cheap-looking British second feature bolstered by slick direction from imported Hollywood director R.G.Springsteen and by good photography by Basil Emmott.

The late Wayne Morris ambles amiably mainly through studio scenes intercut with stirring footage of boats at sea. Yvonne Furneaux is nominally the female lead, but the film's glamorous blonde femme fatale is supplied by June Ashley playing the chief baddie's feline 'secretary', aptly named 'Kitty'.

Wayne Morris sails the channel.

[horn-5 · 23 November 2005]

The plot has charter-boat owner "Tex" Parker being framed on a murder rap by a gang of jewel-and-American currency smugglers operating from the coasts of England and France, with a mid-channel rendezvous. The smugglers use him, his boat and partner, "Soapy" (Peter Sinclair), to carry their goods back and forth across the English. During one of the trips, "Tex" is thrown overboard, but is picked up by a French fishing boat and the fisherman take him back to their village, Porte Soliare, where he meets Jacqueline (Yvonne Furneaux.) Everybody in this film not named "Tex", "Soapy", Moreau or Burroughs is a crook, including Kitty (June Ashley.) And people who appear to be quite dead early on turn out to be not dead later on, and money and swag and goods keep changing hands with such regularity that, at one point, one guy is searching for something he already has (and doesn't know it), while another guy isn't searching for it because he thinks he has it...but doesn't. This keeps all hands on their toes including the confused audience.

Slightly Confusing

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 31 August 2020]

It was rather difficult at times to work out who had killed who.The plot is rather more convoluted than it should have been.Republic chose an American over the hill actor and director for this film.The production values are not high.

There is always an American hero in British Films ... !

[adabsiz · 1/10 · 10 January 2021]

As usual, a British film with the obligatory American lead (could have pretended to be Canadian but ....) in order to satisfy the producer, and the Screen Actors Guild . A mishmash of a forgettable plot and bad acting from all nationalities involved, and what is more of almost unbelievable accuracy in those days of sans radar !

In short, a waste of time ...