Clearly, the co-stars here are Sylvia Syms, as "Miss Larkin", and Ray Milland, as "Simon Crawford". Crawford is accused of knocking off the supposed murderer of his daughter, and Miss Larkin is determined to defend him. Has he been framed? A majority of the film shows us the workings of the British courts, based on a play Milland had performed himself. Apparently, and sadly, he probably should have left the directing to someone else, as it did not go over as well as the play had. This seems to be the only film project that Milland and Syms had done together, and like most film actors, they both ended their careers with TV appearances on shows like Columbo and Love Boat. This one kind of plods along. No real twists or surprises. The repeated performances by Milland must have taken their toll... in several instances, he gives a rote performance, and doesn't seem to be experiencing what he is going through, and is reciting the lines without the emotion. Story by Jack Roffey. It's not so bad... it's pretty good. For a much better version of this, watch "Witness for the Prosecution", with Laughton and Dietrich. That one has a clever script, and the performances are better all around.
Review of Hostile Witness
