Hangman's Wharf (1950) User Reviews

If you find the plot, drop me a line.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 5 February 2019]

This has the typical British b movie feel about it, I can imagine it being shown secondary to some marvellous thriller.

The story starts off with a lot of intrigue, but sadly as it starts to build, it does genuinely lose all focus, leaving you as a viewer wondering how on Earth that boat vanished, and just how on Earth those gunmen managed not to spot the ingenious hiding place of their intended victims, neither was none too bright.

It's very short, short enough for you not to get bored and wander off to do the dishes, I did like the chemistry between Galloway and Alison, she pulls some amusing faces, sadly not as funny as her Patrician interpretation of an Inverness accent.

Despite my few criticisms I did rather enjoy it, it filled a wet February afternoon. 6/10

Routine

[gnok2002 · 4/10 · 30 May 2017]

I'm inserting reviews for films that currently lack one, this deserved rarity, not yet got 5 votes, has recently been shown on UK satellite channel Talking Pictures, where I saw it, so should become better known, note their 'restored' print is about 56 min' so is missing some 16 min' (ajusting for different cinema / TV frame rates) of the original, review.... 'Flimsy plot involving a doctor framed for murder and a female journalist, together they attempt to sort out what's happening, not helped by an average cast, and below average plot that's full of holes, but (in this version) it's short, and though mostly studio bound, there are a few interesting exteriors, some dockyard scenes, the Albert Memorial, and a West coast fishing village, watchable if you like old British films, otherwise avoid.'

Dismal flight of Fancey

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 15 July 2017]

Well you can't really complain.You expect a dismal standard of production from a film produced by E J Fancey and on this film he certainly does not let you down.The photography is quite murky at times,the sound poorly recorded,the studio very small and the acting is amateurish.Campbell Singer,playing as usual,a police detective is the only actor I recognise.This film would make his Merton Park films seem like minor classics.Furthermore I hate thrillers where in the last scene the characters give you all the information for understanding a plot that you had given up on half an hour earlier.

The Distinguished Character

[richardchatten · 3/10 · 20 September 2021]

Based on a radio serial, hence all the talk in this amiably inept E. J. Fancey quickie for which ample use of authentic locations and night-for-photography, an attractive and capable heroine in Genine Graham and a poised villainess in Patricia Laffan go some way to atoning for John Witty's spectacularly feeble attempt at a Scots accent.

But not much.

Fast and cheap

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 13 November 2017]

HANGMAN'S WHARF is a very low budget British crime thriller of 1950, the story a little Hitchcockian in feel. The protagonist is a Scottish doctor who answers a distress call only to face designs on his life in a run-down part of town. The tale that follows is brief and mildly energetic, with a decent pace and some larger-than-life villains to occupy the screen. The performances are even broader than the accents, and if it all feels extremely cheap and by-the-numbers, then at least it isn't dull.

"You can't stop now!" "Why not?" "You just can't"

[boblipton · 4/10 · 26 April 2023]

John Witty is a doctor without much of a practice in the Scilly Islands. And someone is trying to kill him. So he and Genine Graham try to figure out who, even as local policeman Campbell Singer tries to put him in jail for some other murders.

It's co-written, directed, photographed and edited by Cecil H. Williamson. I had never noticed his name before and judging by this movie, he was a good editor. Although the dialogue and plot are poor, the performers can't be expected to remember their lines, and the camerawork is dull, despite potentially interesting settings, this moves along at a good clip, from one poorly motivated shot to the next. Both leads are supposed to be from Scotland, but can't be bothered to maintain consistent accents..... no, that's not true, Miss Graham, who's supposed to be from Inverness, sound like she's just come from a posh finishing school.

Hangman's Wharf

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 27 December 2022]

OK, first of all you have to accept that the accents here - ostensibly Scots (?) are all o'er the place. John Witty plays a doctor ("Galloway" not "Finlay") who is summoned to a ship late at night on a hoax visit; on his way home again he narrowly escapes death from a falling oil drum by the timely intervention of Genine Graham and they both become embroiled in an investigation of murder and intrigue. It's based on a BBC serial and the production values are maybe a bit higher than you might expect. Campbell Singer (who always seems to pop us as a jovial Scotland Yard inspector) is quite good; and you might recognise Patricia Laffan as the wife of the baddie (she played "Poppaea in "Quo Vadis" one year later).

Should Be Listed As A Comedy

[IcyTones · 2/10 · 31 March 2020]

If you're not too fussed, the movie looks dated, the acting is terrible & the love story incredulous, but it does have the entertainment value of a GP with a '0 patients' practice, who becomes the main suspect in a murder case.

They Don't Make Them Like This Anymore (Thank Goodness?)

[vogun-17563 · 7/10 · 3 February 2019]

Please read other reviews for plot etc. In short, it's a Hitchcockian type thriller.

I did enjoy this, and here are my reasons. The shooting is all done outside (to save studio costs), it is a grainy film with shadows doing the best acting and there is a scratchy sound track. The dialogue probably took less time then I did to write this review, and it has a plot that became lost halfway through the film, and has to be explained in the wrap up. The plot still has more holes than Swiss cheese, and the film must have been knocked out by the studio in "no time" at all. What's not to like here? My type of "bad" movie.

It's a slow burner thriller that fortunately takes off and doesn't hang about. A good job really as 90 minutes of this would be too much to bear.

If you want nostalgia, then this is for you, although there is nothing cool here. If there is any chance a sub standard B movie is your worst nightmare, then stay away.

I did find it entertaining myself, but couldn't watch these type of movies more than a few times a year. I gave a 7 score, but wouldn't argue if others gave it a 5 or less.

Great Fun!

[ronevickers · 7/10 · 31 May 2017]

If you enjoy British "b" movies from the 50s, try and catch this little effort. It's quite laughably bad, which makes it all the more entertaining. The basic plot, and the way it all pans out, is bargain basement stuff, and some of the acting is quite hilarious. The main character, Dr Galloway, played by John Witty sports the worst, and most inconsistent, scots accent you are ever likely to hear. Similarly, his co-star, Genine Graham's character is supposed to hail from Inverness, but sounds as though she's just left an English boarding school. The main baddie's henchmen are a real hoot - one is full of forced menace, and the other would have trouble scaring a three year old! The movie does move along briskly, and doesn't give the viewer time to become bored. In it's own amateurish, unsophisticated way it's got a certain charm and is harmless stuff. Just the thing to while away a quick hour for fans of such films.