CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

jjcarr-49015 This is a well-made movie that satisfactorily and seamlessly combines a crime drama with some social commentary and characters that aren't just cardboard cutouts. The story takes place from a Friday to a Sunday in London. Dan (Bonar Colleano), a sailor on the Rotterdam to London route, engages in petty smuggling to get the money to impress the sort of girlfriend (Moira Lister) who's impressed by having money spent on her. On this trip he's going to make some real money (a hundred quid!) by smuggling out a package and deliver it unsealed in Rotterdam, no questions asked. A gang is going to use the skills of an aging acrobat (Max Adrian) and inside info from the acrobat's pensioned-off brother to commit a jewel robbery. The plan is to carry out the robbery on a Sunday, give the package to Dan who sails that afternoon. A bottle of milk upsets the masterplan and things start to go wrong all around. Not knowing this Dan, because he's known to Customs, plans to get his pal, the more straight-laced Johnny (Earl Cameron), to bring it aboard ship. Johnny is black. Over his weekend he encounters both racism and a naïve "nice girl" (Susan Shaw) who seems oblivious to the problems an inter-racial couple would experience in 1950's London. I've read that this was the first British film to have a black man-white woman love story. To tell more would be a spoiler particularly as you don't know how certain of the characters will react when things don't go as they wished. This isn't a masterpiece of world cinema but it doesn't pretend to be one. It is, as I say, a well-made piece. If imDb let you do fractions I'd give it seven and a half.

giallopudding Stumbled across this little gem of a film on the internet, after seeing it mentioned in an article entitled "The 10 Best British Noir Films You Should Watch" on tasteofcinema.com.I am something of a noir fanatic, and Pool of London holds up with the best of the late, gritty urban films in that "genre," which often forsake the noir femme fatale formula, making males with tragic flaws their own antagonists. This film has all the elements of great drama, and Hitchcock couldn't have done it better. It even features a strikingly beautiful blond, the kind Hitch favored, in Susan Shaw. Va-va-voom!This film transcends most thrillers of the era by making one of the leads a black man, and the ramifications are expertly and sensitively woven into the story, unlike the heavy-handed examples which would follow as the upcoming civil rights era ensued. I was so impressed by the incredible photography in this film that I was compelled to look up the director of photography: Gordon Dines. I must say, John Alton has nothing on Mr. Dines! He is a master of the craft, and makes this film a must-see on that basis alone.This is a well paced, well shot, well acted thriller, and I am glad I finally stumbled across it after all these years. It's so nice to be surprised by the quality of a long lost film, just when you think you've seen all the best. They don't make them like this anymore. Now all you see are cardboard characters, 2-second shots, nauseating hand-held camera takes (even when they aren't warranted ) and CGI explosions....no thanks.Now I need to track down "The Blue Lamp", which was also shot by Gordon Dines.

screenman As a movie in its own right, 'Pool Of London' is no great shakes. It's just a simple tale of botched heist and careless tongues. Curious, coming so soon after the war, when all were reminded that it cost lives.American-looking Bonar Colleano plays the sailor stooge who gets into water too deep to fathom. There are femme-fatale girlfriends not to be trusted too, and soon the cops and villains alike are on his case. There are no clever plot twists and nothing very imaginative in its technical issues of lighting or editing etc. The jewel heist looks like a feeble blueprint for the likes of later 'Topkapi' etc.Where this movie scores highest is in its delightful preservation of a post-war turn-of-the-1950's London and the lives, attitudes and morals manifest by the people of that time. Pre-eminent (I think) is the shock-horror attitude to murder; today it wouldn't raise an eyebrow. The movie is well worth watching for this reason alone. But I don't think the makers ever intended it as a time-capsule, and therefore shouldn't gain extra points for being one.Taken as a straightforward and not particularly imaginative heist movie, this is only just above average.

killickp I worked on this film as an apprentice electrician,working for Hays Wharf in To0ley street London s.e.1I was about 16 at the time,and used to put cargo lights on the dockside cranes for the night shoot.They were shot at Mark Browns wharf,which was adjacent to Tower Bridge,and a part of the Hays Group.I can remember Bonar Colleano,and he was always very polite to all of the people attending,always had a cheery Hi,for everyone,a very nice chap.a lot of the scenes on the boat were shot on Sundays or Saturday afternoons,but the ones that were shot on working days were a bit hectic as there were Dockside cranes working overhead,plus Lister trucks dashing about moving the produce to the different warehouses.I also attended the shots where they had been out for the evening and came home to the old house.This was shot in a road called Wilds Rents and was next to Tooley Street,and is in fact still there,but not the houses.The ship was actually the Jaroslav Dowbroski,and they used to paste a paper name on her before she came under Tower Bridge.I have a DVD copy of the film and it still brings back memories.I was surprised at the amount of racial prejudice in the film when i saw it at a much later date,i don't think that this film could be made to-day without some protest.It was however a very good reflection of the times,as there were very few (coloured) people in this country,and those that were were mostly Seamen.The austerity of Post War Britain is also very stark,and a reminder of the hard times just after the 2nd world war.I lived in Bermondsey,and we suffered the heaviest Bombing of any of the London Boroughs,57 continuous nights from 10.30pm until 5.30 am,during which time there was much devastation in the borough.All in all i loved this film for its stark reality and portrayal of the times,plus the easy going acting of Bonar and James Robertson Justice.All in all very well type cast,and a good performance by all.Bill K