IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.8K
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A cosmetic salesman sets out to prove to himself and his wife that he is not a failure.A cosmetic salesman sets out to prove to himself and his wife that he is not a failure.A cosmetic salesman sets out to prove to himself and his wife that he is not a failure.
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- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen this film was released in 1960, Peter Sellers had become an internationally-acclaimed star of comedies, but had never been seen in a serious drama like this violent thriller. People were so unused to see him playing someone unpleasant and aggressive that the film was a great critical and financial flop. Sellers himself, perhaps defensively, dismissed his performance sarcastically as "my attempt to be Rod Steiger". However, over the years, the film gained a small, but vociferous cult following and Sellers's work in it has been much praised.
- GoofsAbout five minutes into the film, Cummings (Richard Todd) is looking for his stolen car. One of the shots is "flipped" - the sign for "Berger's Cosmetics" reads backwards.
- Quotes
Lionel Meadows: I said I told you never to lift anything within five miles of around here! Don't you ever learn?
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000)
- SoundtracksWhen Johnny Comes Marching Home
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged and conducted by John Barry
Lyrics by John Maitland
Sung by Adam Faith
Heard over the opening and closing titles
Featured review
"Never Let Go" is a British noir from 1960. It was controversial because of the language and violence, which today's viewers won't even notice.
John Cummings (Richard Todd) is a salesman for a cosmetics firm who isn't doing well. He is told he pushes too hard; that he's not like the "new" types of salesmen coming in. Obviously nervous and desperate to keep his job, John has the look and aura of a loser, and his employer knows it.
Hoping to help his work, Cummings buys a Ford Anglia from Lionel Meadows (Peter Sellers), a crook. Cummings doesn't insure the car and when it's stolen, he's in trouble. His sales kit was in it, he now can't get around, and he'll be paying for it for years with nothing to show for it.
Though he's told he needs to let it go, Cummings won't. He launches his own investigation and runs into violence and the seamier side of London.
The outstanding thing about this film is the performance of Peter Sellers as a vicious criminal, violent, vile, with no empathy. He is outstanding. It's said that people who excel in comedy can do drama, but the reverse isn't always true, and Sellers proves the point here. He's amazing and doesn't hold back, giving a full-out performance.
And he flopped. Why? His fans didn't like the change in image, and neither did the critics. He never did drama again. I am reminded of Tyrone Power's excellent performance in Nightmare Alley that so freaked out Darryl Zanuck that he gave it no publicity and withdrew it from release. In that case, though, the critics liked it, and it finally achieved a cult status. But it goes to show how strong images were back in the day and how uncomfortable people were if you tried to do something else.
This is a gritty, depressing movie about a man who needs to get his car back in order to prove to himself and his wife that he's not a loser, and that he refuses to take what fate gives him. The street thugs show him no mercy, the police aren't interested, and his marriage is in jeopardy. Cummings realizes that no matter the price, he must win -- for himself. The finale is fantastic.
Richard Todd does a wonderful job in an emotional role and shows a wide range. He was one of the many British actors who came to fame around the same time: Stewart Granger, Richard Burton, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey, Terrence Stamp, etc. Whether it was poor choices in films or what, as good an actor as he was, he never reached the full film star potential that seemed unlimited after "The Hasty Heart."
The photography is top quality noir: offbeat angles, with the use of shadows throughout. The music was that typical '50s music one hears in '50s films, loud and jazzy, the type of thing you always here as someone approaches a cheap club in a sleazy part of town.
A good film, tough and no-holds barred in the noir tradition.
John Cummings (Richard Todd) is a salesman for a cosmetics firm who isn't doing well. He is told he pushes too hard; that he's not like the "new" types of salesmen coming in. Obviously nervous and desperate to keep his job, John has the look and aura of a loser, and his employer knows it.
Hoping to help his work, Cummings buys a Ford Anglia from Lionel Meadows (Peter Sellers), a crook. Cummings doesn't insure the car and when it's stolen, he's in trouble. His sales kit was in it, he now can't get around, and he'll be paying for it for years with nothing to show for it.
Though he's told he needs to let it go, Cummings won't. He launches his own investigation and runs into violence and the seamier side of London.
The outstanding thing about this film is the performance of Peter Sellers as a vicious criminal, violent, vile, with no empathy. He is outstanding. It's said that people who excel in comedy can do drama, but the reverse isn't always true, and Sellers proves the point here. He's amazing and doesn't hold back, giving a full-out performance.
And he flopped. Why? His fans didn't like the change in image, and neither did the critics. He never did drama again. I am reminded of Tyrone Power's excellent performance in Nightmare Alley that so freaked out Darryl Zanuck that he gave it no publicity and withdrew it from release. In that case, though, the critics liked it, and it finally achieved a cult status. But it goes to show how strong images were back in the day and how uncomfortable people were if you tried to do something else.
This is a gritty, depressing movie about a man who needs to get his car back in order to prove to himself and his wife that he's not a loser, and that he refuses to take what fate gives him. The street thugs show him no mercy, the police aren't interested, and his marriage is in jeopardy. Cummings realizes that no matter the price, he must win -- for himself. The finale is fantastic.
Richard Todd does a wonderful job in an emotional role and shows a wide range. He was one of the many British actors who came to fame around the same time: Stewart Granger, Richard Burton, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey, Terrence Stamp, etc. Whether it was poor choices in films or what, as good an actor as he was, he never reached the full film star potential that seemed unlimited after "The Hasty Heart."
The photography is top quality noir: offbeat angles, with the use of shadows throughout. The music was that typical '50s music one hears in '50s films, loud and jazzy, the type of thing you always here as someone approaches a cheap club in a sleazy part of town.
A good film, tough and no-holds barred in the noir tradition.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Nikada ne popustaj
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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