A girl gets herself hooked up in with a bunch of crooks, and gets the rap for a crime she did not commit. Her father is a retiring policeman who finds out about the crime, and goes against his morals to hatch an elaborate plan to cover his daughter. Well acted and interesting, but very short, and the abrupt ending will leave you going "what the?"
7 Reviews
Short but profound
Neil-1173 August 2006
A very short movie with low production standards, but a story worthy of Shakespeare. It's a profound tragedy played in standard cops and robbers costume. Quick, somebody buy this story and do a modern remake! A policeman faced with deep moral choices finds that once he's set foot on the path of corruption he is trapped by an ever more complex web of lies and intrigue. A lifetime of personal honor is at stake and we wonder if redemption is possible. All is revealed in a dramatic ending.
Anyone able to sit still and concentrate for just an hour will be thoroughly rewarded. The ending is indeed sudden and possibly surprising, but not hard to understand.
Anyone able to sit still and concentrate for just an hour will be thoroughly rewarded. The ending is indeed sudden and possibly surprising, but not hard to understand.
Odd way out.
morrison-dylan-fan14 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
With Easter coming up,I started looking for movies to watch with my dad during the Easter holidays. Impressed by his work on the Hammer Noir Cloudburst,I was pleased to learn that a DVD seller had recently tracked down a "quota quickie" by Francis Searle,which led to me finding the exit for a viewing.
The plot:
After spending his life working in the force, Supt. Harcourt starts looking forward to retirement. Unknown to Harcourt,his daughter Shirley crosses paths with crime boss John Chandos. Learning of what Shirley has been caught up in,Harcourt sees for the first time that the one way out,is to cross the thin blue line.
View on the film:
Driving by in 58 minutes,director Francis Searle & cinematographer Walter J. Harvey find the door to a rustic Film Noir atmosphere with location shooting (and the Hammer studio Bray) breathing in the London fog,and corned shots giving the buildings a burnt out appearance. Joined by a surprisingly strong-armed Arthur Lowe as Sam, Jill Adams gives this short and sweet flick Femme Fatale elegance as Shirley Harcourt,who Adams shows has a deep fear of being stuck in the deep end. Despite the short run time,the screenplay by Jonathan Roche/Jean Scott Rogers and John Temple-Smith disappointingly fails to pick up the pace,by giving Supt. Harcourt search to clear his daughter an oddly relaxed,casual feel,as Supt. Harcourt finds the one way out for Shirley.
The plot:
After spending his life working in the force, Supt. Harcourt starts looking forward to retirement. Unknown to Harcourt,his daughter Shirley crosses paths with crime boss John Chandos. Learning of what Shirley has been caught up in,Harcourt sees for the first time that the one way out,is to cross the thin blue line.
View on the film:
Driving by in 58 minutes,director Francis Searle & cinematographer Walter J. Harvey find the door to a rustic Film Noir atmosphere with location shooting (and the Hammer studio Bray) breathing in the London fog,and corned shots giving the buildings a burnt out appearance. Joined by a surprisingly strong-armed Arthur Lowe as Sam, Jill Adams gives this short and sweet flick Femme Fatale elegance as Shirley Harcourt,who Adams shows has a deep fear of being stuck in the deep end. Despite the short run time,the screenplay by Jonathan Roche/Jean Scott Rogers and John Temple-Smith disappointingly fails to pick up the pace,by giving Supt. Harcourt search to clear his daughter an oddly relaxed,casual feel,as Supt. Harcourt finds the one way out for Shirley.
Anyone for a British quota offering?
JohnHowardReid20 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I'll admit that Jill Adams is a very lovely lady and that this tightly budgeted British "B" movie is well acted by almost all its players, and that it is capably directed and that it moderately holds the viewer's interest over its one-hour running time. But with tens of thousands of much more exciting movies to choose from, why go to all the trouble and expense of issuing this small-time British quota quickie on an American DVD? Even in Britain itself, the Jill Adams fan club (if there ever was such a fan club – which I strongly doubt) held its annual meetings during the lunch hour at her agent's office. And in this movie, for all Jill's attractive looks and undeniable charisma, she is easily outclassed by other players including Lyndon Brook (misspelled "Brooke" on the DVD), John Chandos and even Eddie Byrne (who is actually the number one star of this movie, even if he is not so much as mentioned on the back cover art and blurb of the well-executed VintageFilmBuff DVD).
Above average British 'B'-pic directed with drive and good performances.
jamesraeburn200314 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A young woman called Carol Marsh is found dead in a canal and it is believed she committed suicide. However, she was discovered wearing a valuable necklace, which was stolen in a raid in Harrow and she was the girlfriend of top jewel thief Jim Danvers (played by John Chandos). This arouses the interest of soon to retire Superintendent Harcourt (played by Eddie Byrne) who has been trying to put Danvers away for years. Harcourt is determined to do just that before he retires, but Danvers responds by framing his young daughter Shirley (played by Jill Adams) for robbery and violence at a petrol station, which turns to murder after the elderly attendant dies. Danvers tells Harcourt that he can produce witnesses, including one of this young crooks, Leslie Parrish (played by Lyndon Brook), whom he used to lure Shirley into a trap, to testify against her in court unless he uses his influence as a senior police officer to get the Yard off his back. When Harcourt is tipped off about Danvers' plan to steal a priceless emerald, he is able to round up the gang, including Parrish, red handed and he agrees to admit to framing Shirley in order to get a lighter sentence. But, as always, Danvers is in the clear since no one will implicate him. Harcourt realizes that his family will not be safe until he is nailed and the scene is set for a final showdown between the two adversaries...
Above average British 'B'-pic crime drama directed with drive by Francis Searle. It benefits from a strong central performance by Eddie Byrne as the veteran policeman caught up in an impossible situation of trying to nail a dangerous criminal whilst protecting his family at the same time. But can he do it without ruining his reputation as a police officer and risking his own life? The supporting performances are also better than one usually expects of second features with John Chandos providing genuine competition to Byrne and the battle between them is engaging. Jill Adams is quite good as the latter's daughter and the story is made a little more lifelike by the fact that she is a widow. Her husband (also a police officer) was killed on duty and she has to raise her baby son at home with the assistance of her mother and father. Lyndon Brook's performance is also noteworthy and Arthur Lowe also appears in a minor role as a forger. The film is well shot by veteran cameraman Walter J Harvey in b/w, which heightens the atmosphere and feeling for place of the attractive settings.
Above average British 'B'-pic crime drama directed with drive by Francis Searle. It benefits from a strong central performance by Eddie Byrne as the veteran policeman caught up in an impossible situation of trying to nail a dangerous criminal whilst protecting his family at the same time. But can he do it without ruining his reputation as a police officer and risking his own life? The supporting performances are also better than one usually expects of second features with John Chandos providing genuine competition to Byrne and the battle between them is engaging. Jill Adams is quite good as the latter's daughter and the story is made a little more lifelike by the fact that she is a widow. Her husband (also a police officer) was killed on duty and she has to raise her baby son at home with the assistance of her mother and father. Lyndon Brook's performance is also noteworthy and Arthur Lowe also appears in a minor role as a forger. The film is well shot by veteran cameraman Walter J Harvey in b/w, which heightens the atmosphere and feeling for place of the attractive settings.
Improbably Scripted Second Feature
boblipton7 July 2019
Eddie Byrne is about to retire as a police superintendent, but a clue points to finally nailing crime boss John Chandos before he does. Chandos tries to bribe him, but to no avail. So a plan is worked out to frame Byrne's daughter, Jill Adams in a robbery that has a man shot.
I found the story a bit contrived, and Miss Adams' situation in reality much easier than the movie seemed to insist on. Perhaps that's a matter of not believing in the incorruptibility of policemen and the lack of a 'blue wall' that the script supposes. The production winds up looking hurried and cheap, with a street sequence as Miss Adams walks past newspaper headlines fuzzy and poorly matched to the rest of the movie. Perhaps it was a stolen shot.
I found the story a bit contrived, and Miss Adams' situation in reality much easier than the movie seemed to insist on. Perhaps that's a matter of not believing in the incorruptibility of policemen and the lack of a 'blue wall' that the script supposes. The production winds up looking hurried and cheap, with a street sequence as Miss Adams walks past newspaper headlines fuzzy and poorly matched to the rest of the movie. Perhaps it was a stolen shot.
A retiring Superintendent of Police finds himself involved with a master thief
blanche-217 December 2021
Eddie Byrne stars as Superintendent Harcourt in "One Way Out" from 1955, also starring Jill Adams, Lyndon Brook, John Bushelle, and John Chandos.
About to retire, Superintendent Harcourt (Byrne) would like a chance to put away a master criminal Danvers (Chandos) and finally gets his chance when a stolen necklace shows up on the body of a dead woman.
Danvers attempts to bribe Harcourt, who turns him down. Desperate, Danvers sends Leslie Parrish (Brook) to meet Harcourt's daughter Shirley (Adams) and then set her up for an assault and robbery situation which she witnesses but does not commit. Complicating matters, the assaulted man dies.
Shirley tells her father what happened, and he comes up with a plan to make sure she is not accused.
B movie features decent acting and kind of a far-fetched story. Jill Adams was quite beautiful. Her character works in a record store - the kind where you bring a recording into a booth to hear it; in this film, kids were dancing in the booth, then left without buying the recording. These were before my time, but I love seeing them in films.
About to retire, Superintendent Harcourt (Byrne) would like a chance to put away a master criminal Danvers (Chandos) and finally gets his chance when a stolen necklace shows up on the body of a dead woman.
Danvers attempts to bribe Harcourt, who turns him down. Desperate, Danvers sends Leslie Parrish (Brook) to meet Harcourt's daughter Shirley (Adams) and then set her up for an assault and robbery situation which she witnesses but does not commit. Complicating matters, the assaulted man dies.
Shirley tells her father what happened, and he comes up with a plan to make sure she is not accused.
B movie features decent acting and kind of a far-fetched story. Jill Adams was quite beautiful. Her character works in a record store - the kind where you bring a recording into a booth to hear it; in this film, kids were dancing in the booth, then left without buying the recording. These were before my time, but I love seeing them in films.
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