The Safecracker (1958)

An honest expert on locks, Colley Dawson turns safe-cracker after he meets Benny Carfield, unscrupulous dealer in antiques; Dawson steals the goods and Carfield disposes of them, and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Ray Milland

Writers:

Rhys Davies (story), Bruce Thomas (story),

Stars:

Ray Milland, Barry Jones, Jeanette Sterke

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Milland	...	Colley Dawson
Barry Jones	...	Bennett Carfield
Jeanette Sterke	...	Irene
Victor Maddern	...	Morris
Ernest Clark	...	Major Adbury
Cyril Raymond	...	Inspector Frankham
Melissa Stribling	...	Angela
Percy Herbert	...	Sergeant Harper
Barbara Everest	...	Mrs. Dawson
Anthony Nicholls	...	General Prior
David Horne	...	Herbert Fenwright
Colin Gordon	...	Dakers
Clive Morton	...	Sir George Turvey
John Welsh	...	Inspector Owing
Pamela Stirling	...	Belgian Messenger

Storyline

An honest expert on locks, Colley Dawson turns safe-cracker after he meets Benny Carfield, unscrupulous dealer in antiques; Dawson steals the goods and Carfield disposes of them, and the resulting profits enable Dawson to lead a double life with small-part film actress Vi. Scotland Yard catches up with him and Dawson is sentenced to ten years in prison. Two years later, in 1940, England is at war with Germany, and the War Office, planning a raid on a German-occupied château in Belgium, is looking for a man who can crack a difficult safe so that the contents, containing lists of Nazi agents in Britain, can be photographed without leaving a trace of the operation. Dawson, in exchange for the eight years of prison awaiting him, agrees to do the job. He, of course, also gets involved with the daughter, Irene, of the local resistance leader.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | belgium | safecracker | world war two | locksmith

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Taglines:

He Loved Women and Danger!

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Genres:

Crime | War | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Safeknacker Nr. 1

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coronado Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1958, MGM released this film on a double bill with Underwater Warrior and the tag line "UNDERSEA PERILS and UNDERCOVER THRILLS!"

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Goofs

The movie starts in pre-World War II (1938) Britain yet in early scene at crooked antique dealer Benny Carfield's shop the background view through the shop window shows 1950s vintage cars driving by, such as a 1957 Austin A40 and a 1957 Vauxhall Victor. The police cars used in the chase sequence were Wolseley 680's, also of contemporary (1957) vintage, even though the action was supposedly taking place in 1938.

User Reviews

OK film but Milland rather miscast.

Quite an enjoyable second feature, although the star actor was too old for the Colley Dawson role. Reliable support from character actors like Ernest Clark and Victor Maddern.