From past viewings I had not rated this episode much at all. However on a recent viewing I have appreciated how well made it is and how it works well as 'television' rather than a 'movie' ...but if your expecting a traditional noir Edgar Wallace plot with heists and bang, bang then this has neither. The gentle wafer thin plot is really a study of 'what if'? (and it is indeed about 3 losers) but comes alive with some excellent acting from Michael Gough, (the sadly later underused) Mark Eden and Toby Robins who is the bar fly here .
The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (TV Series)
Game for Three Losers (1965)
User Reviews
Review this title3 Reviews
Well acted, just lacking any sort of intrigue.
Sleepin_Dragon31 January 2023
Successful businessman and Politician Robert Hilary thinks he has it made, a great career, which is about to take off, a happy marriage, and interest in his new secretary, Frances Challinor.
A decent episode, I can't say I was totally struck by the events of Game for Three Losers. Well acted and watchable, but lacking in intrigue and suspense, it plays out like a late night B Movie, it doesn't have the usual twists and turns, it needed a few twists and turns.
It's quite hard to have sympathy for any of the characters, all three are pretty awful, Hilary is two faced and entitled, Marchant and Challinor are greedy blackmailers, throw the book at all three of them.
Toby Robins, Mark Eden and Michael Gough are all good value, the script just seemed to lack a bit of bite, a bit of passion.
6/10.
A decent episode, I can't say I was totally struck by the events of Game for Three Losers. Well acted and watchable, but lacking in intrigue and suspense, it plays out like a late night B Movie, it doesn't have the usual twists and turns, it needed a few twists and turns.
It's quite hard to have sympathy for any of the characters, all three are pretty awful, Hilary is two faced and entitled, Marchant and Challinor are greedy blackmailers, throw the book at all three of them.
Toby Robins, Mark Eden and Michael Gough are all good value, the script just seemed to lack a bit of bite, a bit of passion.
6/10.
Not an Edgar Wallace story
malcolmgsw25 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Despite coming under the Edgar Wallace banner for American TV the story on which this film was based was written by the criminologist Edgar Wallace/Wallaces stories always seem to be full of complex twists and turns but this is dull and pedestrian.The basic story is about a politician played by Michael Gough being set up by his secretary and blackmailed by her brother.This film was made in 1965 shortly after the Profumo scandal,so a married politician falling for a younger woman was hardly news then.It is difficult therefore to understand why the politician allows himself to be blackmailed,how the secretary seems to be let off yet falls in to remorseful alcoholism and the brother pleads not guilty and ends up with a long sentence.It all make for a rather plodding 53minutes.
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