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Subgenre Sampler

 
Without A ClueWithout A Clue (1988)
Dir. Thom Eberhardt
Feat. Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones
A nicely contrived send–up of the Sherlock Holmes stories, with Kingsley playing Doctor Watson, who in fact has invented the character of…
FletchFletch (1985)
Dir. Michael Ritchie
Feat. Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Arguably considered his best feature comedy, Chevy Chase plays the titular newspaper reporter with a penchant for changing his identity who stumbles…
Price, The (TV Mini-series)Price, The (TV Mini-series) (1985)
Feat. Peter Barkworth, Harriet Walter, Aingeal Grehan
UK miniseries building a chilling web of intrigue around a priviledged dilettante wife (Harriet Walter) who finds herself caught between IRA thugs…
Finally SundayFinally Sunday (Vivement Dimanche!) (1983)
Dir. Francois Truffaut
Feat. Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant
A businessman in trouble with the police over the murder of his wife's lover finds solace in his secretary who decides to investigate the case…
DeathtrapDeathtrap (1982)
Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Joe Silver
A clever, self–referential comedy based around a failing writer of crime playwright who plans to murder his student for his brilliant whodunnit…
Green IceGreen Ice (1981)
Dir. Ernest Day
Feat. Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif
Cheesy, outlandish heist romance finds Ryan O'Neal embroiled in the high–stakes world of emerald smuggling. Omar Sharif is good value as an…
Formula, TheFormula, The (1980)
Dir. John G. Avildsen
Feat. Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, Marthe Keller
Muddled thriller with Scott as a detective caught up in a conspiracy to manipulate world fuel prices. Brando –only in three scenes– does…
Little Miss MarkerLittle Miss Marker (1980)
Dir. Walter Bernstein
Feat. Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, Tony Curtis
Comedy set in the 30's, following a gloomy, cantankerous bookie (Walter Matthau) running a gambling operation, who finds himself with a 6–year…
McVicarMcVicar (1980)
Dir. Tom Clegg
Feat. Roger Daltrey, Adam Faith, Cheryl Campbell
Based on the true story of infamous UK criminal John McVicar, this gritty thriller stars Daltrey as the bad boy sent to a maximum security prison…
A Force Of OneA Force Of One (1979)
Dir. Paul Aaron
Feat. Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Clu Gulager
Passable crime thriller with Chuck Norris near the start of his career playing a karate champion assisting the police to hunt down a…
Armchair Thriller CollectionArmchair Thriller Collection (1979-1981)
Feat. Ian McKellen, James Bolam, Alun Armstrong
With memorably unsettling opening credits and exceptional performances and direction, this anthology series became a significant hit for Thames…
BloodlineBloodline (1979)
Dir. Terence Young
Feat. Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, James Mason
Suspense–lite, Sidney Sheldon–based outing for Audrey Hepburn, with the ageless movie icon battling hostile takeovers from within a newly…
Cat and the Canary, TheCat and the Canary, The (1979)
Dir. Radley Metzger
Feat. Honor Blackman, Michael Callan, Edward Fox
The classic spooky–house mystery by John Willard is here adapted for the fifth time. The relatives a recently–deceased man gather to hear…
Cribb (TV Series)Cribb (TV Series) (1979-1980)
Feat. Alan Dobie
Superior crime series set in Victorian London, following the wry Detective Sergeant Cribb, a member of Scotland Yard's newly formed CID unit, as he…
Human Factor, TheHuman Factor, The (1979)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi
Otto Preminger last film is a mild espionage affair, concerning a low–level British informant suspected of being a double agent. A hefty cast…
Lady Vanishes, TheLady Vanishes, The (1979)
Dir. Anthony Page
Feat. Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury
Curious, though lackluster remake of Hitchcock's classic train thriller. Angela Lansbury plays the vanishing lady whose disappearance is investigated…
Murder by DecreeMurder by Decree (1979)
Dir. Bob Clark
Feat. Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings
Sherlock Holmes and the ever faithful Watson are back, this time investigating the notorious Jack the Ripper and his gruesome fascination with…
AbsolutionAbsolution (1978)
Dir. Anthony Page
Feat. Richard Burton, Billy Connolly
Brass TargetBrass Target (1978)
Dir. John Hough
Feat. Sophia Loren, John Cassavetes, Robert Vaughn
A classic 70's all–star cast feature in this post–World War II suspense film that suggests that the German automobile crash involving…
Hazell (TV Series)Hazell (TV Series) (1978)
Feat. Nicholas Ball
Paying homage to classic film noir this ITV crime series centres around a charismatic private detective who tackles blackmail, missing persons cases,…
PatrickPatrick (1978)
Dir. Richard Franklin
Feat. Robert Thompson, Sir Robert Helpmann, Susan Penhaligon
Shrill Aussie B–movie about a comatose hospital patient who utilizes his psychokinetic powers to inflict pain and death. Takes its time to…
Black SundayBlack Sunday (1977)
Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller
A suspenseful, violent terrorist thriller based on Thomas Harris' fictional novel about the pro–Palestinian "Black September" group who…
Late Show, TheLate Show, The (1977) Recommended
Dir. Robert Benton
Feat. Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy
A grumpy semi–retired private investigator partners with a quirky female client to catch the people who murdered his partner.
Rolling ThunderRolling Thunder (1977) Recommended
Dir. John Flynn
Feat. William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones
A classic of 70's exploitation, this gritty revenge thriller follows a Vietnam vet who returns home a hero, but soon embarks on a mission of bloody…
Silver BearsSilver Bears (1977)
Dir. Ivan Passer
Feat. Michael Caine, Cybill Shepherd, Louis Jourdan
Low–key crime comedy caper with Michael Caine playing a financial wizard working with a crime boss to launder money from a Swiss bank.
Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centrefold Model?Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centrefold Model? (1977)
Dir. Russ Mayberry
Feat. Barbara Eden, Joseph Mascolo, Joan Hackett
"Edgy" TV movie with Barbara Eden as female private detective going undercover as a porno actress to find a millionaire's missing daughter.
Bobbie Jo and the OutlawBobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)
Dir. Mark L. Lester
Feat. Lynda Carter, Marjoe Gortner, Jesse Vint
Crime drama starring Lynda Carter (WONDER WOMAN) as an aspiring country music star who falls in with a young hustler who sees himself as a modern day…
BoomerangBoomerang (Comme un boomerang) (1976)
Dir. Jose Giovanni
Feat. Alain Delon, Carla Gravina, Dora Doll
French crime film with Alain Delon playing an ex–gangster and father of a delinquent teen, who is determined to clear his son's name after he…
Chinese Roulette Chinese Roulette (Chinesisches Roulette) (1976)
Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Feat. Anna Karina, Margit Carstensen, Brigitte Mira
Daunting Fassbinder drama concerning a cheating mother and father unwittingly convinced by their disabled daughter to each take their lovers on a…
Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, TheLindbergh Kidnapping Case, The (1976)
Dir. Buzz Kulik
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Martin Balsam, Cliff DeYoung
A TV film dramatising the events of the Lindbergh kidnapping, in which the son of aviators Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh was abducted…
Murder by DeathMurder by Death (1976)
Dir. Robert Moore
Feat. Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco
A classic whodunnit premise is taken within an inch of its life by a knockout cast, here playing a gaggle of famous sleuths and sidekicks who convene…
PeeperPeeper (1976)
Dir. Peter Hyams
Feat. Michael Caine, Natalie Wood, Kitty Winn
Patchy noir send–up with Caine as a poor man's Phillip Marlowe struggling to find a missing woman, with his biggest obstacle being himself.
Sherlock Holmes in New YorkSherlock Holmes in New York (1976)
Dir. Boris Sagal
Feat. Roger Moore, Patrick Macnee, John Huston
Fun addition to the Holmes canon with the great detective pursuing his arch rival Moriarty through New York after his nemesis pulls off a daring bank…
Hanged Man, The (TV Series)Hanged Man, The (TV Series) (1975)
Feat. Colin Blakely, Michael Williams
Colin Blakely plays a rich industrialist whose success has made him the death target of his shady competitors. Series follows Blakely pretending to…
Night MovesNight Moves (1975) Recommended
Dir. Arthur Penn
Feat. Gene Hackman, Susan Clark, Melanie Griffith
Underrated private–eye yarn with Gene Hackman tracking down a then very young Melanie Griffith. Intelligent fare that leads to a stunning…
RosebudRosebud (1975)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Peter O'Toole, Richard Attenborough, Peter Lawford
Preminger's penultimate film is sadly a mess. Members of the Palestinian Liberation Army kidnap five heiresses in order to bring attention to their…
Wilby Conspiracy, TheWilby Conspiracy, The (1975)
Dir. Ralph Nelson
Feat. Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine, Nicol Williamson
Activists Poitier and Caine are stalked by a sadistic policeman in this Apartheid–era suspenser, in which thrills take precedence over politics.
And Then There Were NoneAnd Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) (1974)
Dir. Peter Collinson
Feat. Oliver Reed, Elke Sommer, Richard Attenborough
Agatha Christie’s "Ten Little Indians" receives a clunky, if still entertaining makeover in this stacked international adaptation of the macabre…
Gambler, TheGambler, The (1974) Recommended
Dir. Karel Reisz
Feat. James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton
A typically gritty 70s crime drama, adapted from a story by Dostoevsky, that boasts a fine performance by James Caan as a well–respected…
Klansman, TheKlansman, The (1974)
Dir. Terence Young
Feat. Richard Burton, Lee Marvin, Cameron Mitchell
Samuel Fuller co–wrote this trashy Southern potboiler, graced with the acting chops of Richard Burton and Lee Marvin as landowner and sheriff…
McQMcQ (1974)
Dir. John Sturges
Feat. John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur
John Wayne plays it tough in this neo–noir as a grizzled Seattle cop investigating the murder of his best friend and the corruption within the…
Murder On the Orient ExpressMurder On the Orient Express (1974)
Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam
Extravagent production of Agatha Christie's mystery with Albert Finney as Poirot rounding up an all–star cast of suspects.
Rockford Files, The (TV Series)Rockford Files, The (TV Series) (1974-1975)
Feat. James Garner, Noah Jr. Beery, Joe Santos
In the spirit of 'Cold Case' this detective thriller series stars James Garner as an easy going plaid jacket attired investigator pursuing unsolved…
Tamarind Seed, TheTamarind Seed, The (1974)
Dir. Blake Edwards
Feat. Julie Andrews, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle
Languid romantic thriller plays out against the backdrop of the Cold War looming. Andrews plays a British civil servant on holiday in the Caribbean…
Terrorists, TheTerrorists, The (Ransom) (1974)
Dir. Caspar Wrede
Feat. Sean Connery, Ian McShane, Jeffry Wickham
Improbable thriller with Connery as a Norwegian colonel charged with liberating a plane full of hostages in the "country" of Scandinavia.
BadlandsBadlands (1973) Aro Favourite
Dir. Terrence Malick
Feat. Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek
Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek are a knock–out as deluded teenage fugitives who chalk up a hefty body count as they flee across country. Based…
Barnaby Jones (TV Series)Barnaby Jones (TV Series) (1973)
Feat. Buddy Ebsen, Lee Meriwether
Forced out of retirement to solve the murder of his son, lanky, milk–drinking Detective Jones is back doing what he does best – catching…
Charley VarrickCharley Varrick (1973) Recommended
Dir. Don Siegel
Feat. Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr
Walter Matthau makes for a fascinating, unconventional armed robber in this punchy heist picture, trademarked by Don Siegel's famously pacey…
DillingerDillinger (1973)
Dir. John Milius
Feat. Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman
A tough portait of the Depression–era bank robber that like BONNIE AND CLYDE, invests the criminal with the mythic qualities of the outlaw.…
Executive ActionExecutive Action (1973)
Dir. David Miller
Feat. Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Will Geer
Rogue intelligence agents, right–wing politicians, greedy capitalists, and free–lance assassins plot and carry out the JFK assassination…
Friends of Eddie Coyle, TheFriends of Eddie Coyle, The (1973) Aro Favourite
Dir. Peter Yates
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan
A superlative, cold–hearted, downright unforgiving crime classic of the 70s, with Robert Mitchum (never better) as an aging Boston gunrunner…
Kojak (TV Series)Kojak (TV Series) (1973-1978)
Dir. Joseph Sargent
Feat. Telly Savalas, Ned Beatty
Popular 70s cop show that turned Telly Savalas's funky, lollipop sucking, glow–domed police lieutenant into a cultural icon. Highly quotable,…
Laughing Policeman, TheLaughing Policeman, The (1973)
Dir. Stuart Rosenberg
Feat. Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, Anthony Zerbe
Police procedural loosely based on the Swedish novel of the same name, set in the aftermath of a horrific shootout on a public bus. A detective…
Mackintosh Man, TheMackintosh Man, The (1973)
Dir. John Huston
Feat. Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda, James Mason
Old–fashioned cold war thriller with Paul Newman playing a British intelligence agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a spy organisation. A…
Nothing But the NightNothing But the Night (The Resurrection Syndicate) (1973)
Dir. Peter Sasdy
Feat. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Diana Dors
Lee and Cushing are sent by Scotland Yard to investigate a fatal bus crash and how it relates to the going–ons at a creepy orphanage.…
RevolverRevolver (Blood in the Streets) (1973)
Dir. Sergio Sollima
Feat. Oliver Reed, Fabio Testi
Equal turns punchy and preposterous, this 'spaghetti crime thriller' involves a prison warden (Reed) who is drawn into an intricate web of deceit…
Seven-Ups, TheSeven-Ups, The (1973)
Dir. Philip D' Antoni
Feat. Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Victor Arnold
Underrated action flick with Roy Scheider on as a tough NYC cop on the trail of his partner's killers. Salty thriller has atmosphere to spare and…
Sting, TheSting, The (1973) Recommended
Dir. George Roy Hill
Feat. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw
Classic vehicle for Robert Redford and Paul Newman playing two Depression–era conmen. Winner of seven Oscars including Best Picture. Music by…
Endless Night Endless Night (1972)
Dir. Sidney Gilliat
Feat. Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland
Riveting Agatha Christie mystery based around the union of a chauffeur and heiress who end up moving into a cursed home. Heightened Hitchcockian…
GumshoeGumshoe (1972)
Dir. Stephen Frears
Feat. Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay
Paying sly homage to Bogart, Chandler and Hammett, this sly detective spoof is the directorial debut of prolific British director Stephen Frears.…
Lord Peter Wimsey (TV Series)Lord Peter Wimsey (TV Series) (1972)
Feat. Ian Carmichael
Dorothy L. Sayers's archetypal British gentleman detective sleuths murders and crimes of passions in this sophisticated and subtly satirical BBC…
Night Stalker, The / Night Strangler, TheNight Stalker, The / Night Strangler, The (1972-1973) Recommended
Dir. John Llewellyn Moxey, Dan Curtis
Feat. Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland
Two excellent and groundbreaking tele–movies from the early 70s starring Darren McGavin as wise–cracking 'regular guy' reporter Carl…
PulpPulp (1972) Recommended
Dir. Mike Hodges
Feat. Michael Caine, Mickey Rooney, Lionel Stander
After completing the phenomenal GET CARTER Caine and dir. Hodges reteamed for this lightweight, yet highly watchable comedy thriller. Caine plays…
Salzburg Connection, TheSalzburg Connection, The (Top Secret) (1972)
Dir. Lee H. Katzin
Feat. Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus Maria Brandauer
Entertaining espionage tale has Newman tangling with neo–Nazis and spies both in pursuit of the identity of German war criminals. Densely…
SavagesSavages (1972)
Dir. James Ivory
Feat. Sam Waterston, Lewis J. Stadlen, Anne Francine
Merchant Ivory's most unexpected film is an allegorical story of a primitive jungle tribe who are interrupted, mid human–sacrifice, by a…
Snoop Sisters, The (TV Series)Snoop Sisters, The (TV Series) (1972)
Feat. Helen Hayes, Mildred Natwick
Two elderly spinsters put down their mystery writing pens to catch perps for real in this dotty, genteel crime series. Starring former Miss Marple,…
Van Der Valk (TV Series)Van Der Valk (TV Series) (1972-1992)
Feat. Barry Foster, Joanna Dunham, Michael Latimer
A hugely popular police procedural series starring Barry Foster as Van der Valk, a no–nonsense Dutch detective and head of the Amsterdam CID…
Whodunnit? (TV Series)Whodunnit? (TV Series) (1972-1974) Aro Favourite
This fondly–remembered primetime panel game from the 1970's invited viewers to play detective by pitting their wits against a panel of…
You'll Like My MotherYou'll Like My Mother (1972) Recommended
Dir. Lamont Johnson
Feat. Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy, Richard Thomas
Patty Duke plays a heavily pregnant woman who travels to rural Minnesota to meet her late husband's mother–in–law, who turns out to have…
Born To WinBorn To Win (Addict) (1971) Recommended
Dir. Ivan Passer
Feat. George Segal, Paula Prentiss, Karen Black
Obscure, but charmingly unique drama–comedy about a former NYC hairdresser (Segal), who has turned street hustler to finance his destructive…
Ellery Queen (TV Series)Ellery Queen (TV Series) (Don't Look Behind You) (1971-1975)
Feat. Jim Hutton, Peter Lawford
Whodunnit series stars Jim Hutton as a mystery writer whose sleuthing know–how is regularly called upon by his Police Inspector…
Firechasers, TheFirechasers, The (1971)
Dir. Sidney Hayers
Feat. Chad Everett, Anjanette Comer, Roy Kinnear
Brit–crime flick has an insurance investigator chasing down an arsonist, along the way he meets and works with a beautiful newspaper reporter…
Grissom Gang, TheGrissom Gang, The (1971)
Dir. Robert Aldrich
Feat. Kim Darby, Scott Wilson, Tony Musante
Crime noir set in Missouri during the Depression, following the kidnapping of a priviledged meat heiress by notorious amateur hoodlums the Grissom…
Max and the JunkmenMax and the Junkmen (Max Et Les Ferrailleurs) (1971)
Dir. Claude Sautet
Feat. Romy Schneider
French crime drama set in the noir shaded streets of Paris follows a frustrated detective getting tangled up in a love triangle after commissioning a…
Persuaders, The (TV Series)Persuaders, The (TV Series) (1971)
Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Roger Moore, Tony Curtis
Roger Moore and Tony Curtis play a debonair duo who lend their status and charm to dissuade the criminal fraternity. Wonderfully corny. DVD 'Box…
When Eight Bells TollWhen Eight Bells Toll (1971)
Dir. Etienne Périer
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley
Expert hokum from the pen of Alistair Maclean has Anthony Hopkins as a secret agent on a mission to determine the whereabouts of a ship that…
Callan (TV Series)Callan (TV Series) (1970)
Dir. James Goddard, Voytek
Feat. Edward Woodward
The bold British TV spy series with Edward Woodward as the cold–blooded but very human secret agent.
Cold SweatCold Sweat (De La Part Des Copains) (1970)
Dir. Terence Young
Feat. Charles Bronson, Liv Ullmann, James Mason
Tight Charles Bronson vehicle see the tough guy play a retired convict who lives with his wife and daughter in the idyllic French Rivera, until some…
Conformist, TheConformist, The (Conformista, Il) (1970) Aro Favourite
Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Feat. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin
Dazzling images and a potent brew of sex and politics merge seamlessly in this milestone of cinema about a submissive Italian Fascist recruited to…
EyewitnessEyewitness (1970)
Dir. John Hough
Feat. Mark Lester, Lionel Jeffries, Susan George
A “boy who cried wolf” suspenser, centred on an imaginative youngster whose placid existence on the island of Malta is shaken when he witnesses…
Man Who Haunted Himself, TheMan Who Haunted Himself, The (1970) Recommended
Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Roger Moore
In one of his rare serious roles, Roger Moore plays the survivor of a car crash who discovers his doppelganger has been released into the…
McCloud (TV Series) McCloud (TV Series) (1970-1977)
Feat. Dennis Weaver, J.D. Cannon, Ken Lynch
Nicely executed crime series following an ex–sheriff from "out west" that joins up with a New York City police squadron to nab the baddies by…
Rider on the RainRider on the Rain (Le passager de la pluie) (1970)
Dir. Rene Clement
Feat. Marlène Jobert, Annie Cordy, Charles Bronson
Stylish psychosexual French mystery thriller in obvious homage to Hitchcock, with Charles Bronson playing a US Army colonel hunting down an escaped…
Shadows of Fear (TV Series)Shadows of Fear (TV Series) (1970)
Feat. Sheila Hancock, Ronald Hines, Edward Fox
Featuring some of Britain's most renowned stage and TV performers, this anthology series brings together eight plays with a 'chilling Hitchcockian…
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
Dir. Gordon Douglas
Feat. Sidney Poitier, Martin Landau, Juano Hernandez
The first sequel to IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT has Sidney Poitier’s detective now settled in San Francisco and investigating a girl’s…
Chairman, TheChairman, The (1969)
Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. Gregory Peck, Anne Heywood, Arthur Hill
Engrossing and utterly preposterous spy flick with Peck as a scientist who must sneak into communist China to steal a secret formula, and to…
Some Girls DoSome Girls Do (1969)
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, James Villiers
Return outing for Richard Johnson's 'Bulldog Drummond' pits the Bond–wannabe against a cabal of mini–skirted fembots and his…
Strange Report (TV Series)Strange Report (TV Series) (1969)
Feat. Anthony Quayle, Kaz Garas, Anneke Wills
Wily Anthony Quayle is Adam Strange, ex–police officer turned criminologist charged with cleaning up murder sprees and other unsolvable cases…
Tell Them Willie Boy Is HereTell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)
Dir. Abraham Polonsky
Feat. Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Robert Blake
This Western comeback from blacklisted director Polonsky (FORCE OF EVIL) focuses (rather ironically) on the manhunt of Robert Blake, who here plays…
A Lovely Way to DieA Lovely Way to Die (1968)
Dir. David Lowell Rich
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Eli Wallach, Sylva Koscina
Dramatic suspense in which a retired vigilante NYC cop hired to look after a potential murderess ends up unprofessionally mixing business and…
Billion Dollar BrainBillion Dollar Brain (1968)
Dir. Ken Russell
Feat. Michael Caine, Karl Malden, Ed Begley
The third 'Harry Palmer' spy caper taken from Len Deighton's series, with the bespectacled Caine this time chasing a meglomaniac Texas…
Champions, The (TV Series)Champions, The (TV Series) (1968-1969)
Feat. Anthony Nicholls
A superior, if earnest, sci–fi thriller series with an Anglo–American cast, created by spy–genre guru Monty Berman (The Baron,…
Dandy in Aspic, ADandy in Aspic, A (1968)
Dir. Anthony Mann
Feat. Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, Mia Farrow
A curious failure, Anthony Mann’s final film, completed by star Laurence Harvey after the director died during filming, muddles the deception of a…
Danger DiabolikDanger Diabolik (1968) Aro Favourite
Dir. Mario Bava
Feat. John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli
Cat–burgling cool from the pop–art 1960's, outfitted in futuristic chic and the effortless glamour of John Phillip Law and blonde…
DeadfallDeadfall (1968)
Dir. Bryan Forbes
Feat. Michael Caine, Giovanna Ralli, Eric Portman
Somewhat lumpy thriller with Caine recruited by a husband and wife to pull of a daring diamond heist. The actual robbery is cross–cut with a…
Detective, TheDetective, The (1968)
Dir. Gordon Douglas
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker
Interestingly dark and unsentimental policier has Frank Sinatra play an embattled cop investigating the murder of a wealthy homosexual while trying…
Ice Station ZebraIce Station Zebra (1968)
Dir. John Sturges
Feat. Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine
Good old–fashioned Cold War intrigue based on the Alistair Maclean novel. An all–bloke ensemble battle against human and natural force,…
It Takes a Thief (TV Series)It Takes a Thief (TV Series) (1968)
Feat. Robert Wagner
A super–cool product of sixties spy style, with Robert Wagner globe–trotting as a world–class cat burglar recruited by the U.S…
Lady in CementLady in Cement (1968)
Dir. Gordon Douglas
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker
Second–tier detective flick with Ol' Blue Eyes as a private dick hired to find the murderer of a beautiful young woman found underwater,…
Magus, TheMagus, The (1968)
Dir. Guy Green
Feat. Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, Candice Bergen
A difficult, if beguiling adaptation of John Fowles’ supposedly unfilmable novel about a troubled schoolteacher (Caine) who arrives on a Greek…
Night of the Following Day, TheNight of the Following Day, The (1968)
Dir. Hubert Cornfield
Feat. Marlon Brando, Richard Boone, Rita Moreno
An unusual thriller (filmed in France), in which a seedy kidnap plot goes awry. Brando plays the ringleader who must not only run the show, but deal…
No Way to Treat a LadyNo Way to Treat a Lady (1968) Recommended
Dir. Jack Smight
Feat. Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, George Segal
Macabre cat–and–mouse thriller from the pen of suspense–master William Goldman (MARATHON MAN), about a psychotic master of disguise…
Pretty PoisonPretty Poison (1968) Recommended
Dir. Noel Black
Feat. Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld
A fan of PSYCHO? Then check out Anthony Perkins in this chilling tale of a couple of psychos in love. Tuesday Weld glitters as a teenage bad seed.
Randall and Hopkirk Deceased (TV Series) (1968)
Dir. Various
Feat. Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope, Annette Andre
Cult 60s British comedy–thriller in which Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope play investigators, one of whom happens to be dead. Complete series…
Sherlock Holmes (TV Series)Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) (A Study In Scarlet, The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of Four, The Blue Carbuncle) (1968)
Feat. Peter Cushing, Nigel Stock
One of the best to ever play Sherlock Holmes (formerly, in Hammer's HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES), Peter Cushing steps back into the shoes of the famed…
Thomas Crown Affair, TheThomas Crown Affair, The (1968) Recommended
Dir. Norman Jewison
Feat. Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway
Split–screen pyrotechnics accord this 60s–chic pastiche of exotic crime thriller and steamy romance. Steve McQueen is the…
ZZ (1968) Recommended
Dir. Costa-Gavras
Feat. Yves Montand, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Irene Papas
Pioneering conspiracy thriller based on the true story of the murder of a doctor and the raw sore of Greek political corruption it exposes. Oscars…
Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde (1967) Recommended
Dir. Arthur Penn
Feat. Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman
One of the seminal films of the late 1960s, an artful depiction of the exploits of Depression–era bank–robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde…
Champagne Murders, TheChampagne Murders, The (Le scandale) (1967)
Dir. Claude Chabrol
Feat. Anthony Perkins, Maurice Ronet, Yvonne Furneaux
Claude Chabrol transitions into his revered period of thrillers with this potboiler about a champagne tycoon's partner who suspects his partner's…
Dragnet (TV Series)Dragnet (TV Series) (1967)
Feat. Jack Webb, Harry Morgan
The classic hard–case, ultra–realistic sixties police procedural, with officers Friday and Gannon cleaning up the mean streets of…
Grand SlamGrand Slam (Ad Ogni Costo) (1967)
Dir. Giuliano Montaldo
Feat. Janet Leigh, Klaus Kinski, Edward G. Robinson
Smooth–running thriller about an international criminal gang who attempt a gruelling diamond heist during the chaotic Carnival in Rio de…
In Cold BloodIn Cold Blood (1967) Aro Favourite
Dir. Richard Brooks
Feat. Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
A masterpiece of crime fiction adapted from Truman Capote’s novel about events surrounding the senseless murder of an innocent family by two…
Incident, TheIncident, The (1967) Aro Favourite
Dir. Larry Peerce
Feat. Martin Sheen, Tony Musante, Beau Bridges
This stark, hard–hitting melodrama depicts two young thugs who drunkenly taunt and terrorize their fellow passengers on a New York subway…
Le SamouraiLe Samourai (The Samurai) (1967) Aro Favourite
Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Alain Delon
Alain Delon plays an ultra–cool assassin whose flawless disposition is impenetrable to the Gendarmerie but not to a sexy key witness. Steely…
Point BlankPoint Blank (1967) Aro Favourite
Dir. John Boorman
Feat. Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn
Fascinating, at times jarring, thriller has underworld hitman Lee Marvin hunting for those who double–crossed him in The Organisation, only to…
President's Analyst, ThePresident's Analyst, The (1967)
Dir. Theodore J. Flicker
Feat. James Coburn
Madcap comedy suspense tracking a hapless guy awarded the task of being the president's assistant, who then must deal with bribes and death threats…
RobberyRobbery (1967) Recommended
Dir. Peter Yates
Feat. Sir Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth
Topnotch heist film is a tension filled reconstruction of "The Great Train Robbery" with Stanley Baker in the Ronnie Biggs role. Film gets off to…
TargetsTargets (1967) Recommended
Dir. Peter Bogdanovich
Feat. Boris Karloff, Peter Bogdanovich
The influential first feature from a young Peter Bogdanovich, that effectively contrasts the story of a retiring horror actor (played by Boris…
Wait Until DarkWait Until Dark (1967) Recommended
Dir. Terence Young
Feat. Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna
A blind Audrey Hepburn is trapped in her apartment by psycho–beatnik Alan Arkin, who's looking for hidden heroin. Based on a stageplay, this…
CatacombsCatacombs (The Woman Who Wouldn't Die) (1966)
Dir. Gordon Hessler
Feat. Gary Merrill, Jane Merrow
A minor British thriller in which a domineering woman (Merrow), whose existence becomes inconvenient for her husband (Merrill) and a blackmailed…
Chase, TheChase, The (1966) Recommended
Dir. Arthur Penn
Feat. Marlon Brando, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda
Action–packed Southern potboiler set around the attempts of a sheriff to protect an escaped convict from mob–justice in smalltown…
Deadlier Than the MaleDeadlier Than the Male (1966)
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Richard Johnson, Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina
Retro adventure spy flick compiled of alluring girls with spear guns in trouble after knocking off a couple of oil industry big wigs. This thriller…
Funeral in BerlinFuneral in Berlin (1966)
Dir. Guy Hamilton
Feat. Michael Caine, Oscar Homolka
Sequel to THE IPCRESS FILE again features Michael Caine as the Harry Palmer, hero of Len Deighton's novel series. This time the espionage functionary…
GambitGambit (1966)
Dir. Ronald Neame
Feat. Shirley Maclaine, Michael Caine
Charming, clever heist flick about a Cockney conman and a kooky showgirl whose brilliantly elaborate plan to steal an invaluable sculpture backfires…
How to Steal a MillionHow to Steal a Million (1966)
Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach
A top cast lifts this romantically–inclined suspense caper, wherein Hepburn must steal a forged sculpture belonging to her own family before it…
Le Deuxieme SouffleLe Deuxieme Souffle (Second Breath) (1966)
Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Raymond Pellegrin
A gangster escapes from prison and returns to his criminal ways, but a determined inspector is on his tail. Has all the style and restraint we can…
Man in a Suitcase (TV Series)Man in a Suitcase (TV Series) (1966)
Feat. Richard Bradford, Donald Sutherland, Felicity Kendall
Perhaps lesser known (and less innovative) than other suspense series of the 1960s, this ITC production still packs a gritty punch. Bradford plays…
RageRage (1966)
Dir. Gilberto Gazcón
Feat. Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens, David Reynoso
Sweaty Mexican American thriller with Glenn Ford playing a self–pitying alcoholic doctor who lives alone in a border town, and finds himself…
Torn CurtainTorn Curtain (1966) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Paul Newman, Julie Andrews
Atom–bomb boffin Paul Newman defects across the Iron Curtain of the title to East Germany, testing the boundaries of trust for true–blue…
10 Little Indians10 Little Indians (Ten Little Indians) (1965)
Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Hugh O'Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian
Swinging London 60s version of the much–filmed Agatha Christie whodunnit 'And Then There Were None...' set in an isolated Alpine manse, where…
A Study in TerrorA Study in Terror (1965)
Dir. James Hill
Feat. John Neville, Robert Morley, Donald Houston
Carefully crafted, though at times crude and bloody, Sherlock Holmes mystery (not by Conan Doyle), with the sleuth pursuing the murderous Jack the…
BlindfoldBlindfold (1965)
Dir. Philip Dunne
Feat. Rock Hudson, Claudia Cardinale, Jack Warden
Rock Hudson stars in this wry thriller as a psycho–analyst caught up in an international spy plot after one of his patients knows more than…
Bunny Lake is MissingBunny Lake is Missing (1965) Recommended
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Keir Dullea, Carol Lynley, Laurence Olivier
Deeply eccentric chiller centred on the hunt for a missing child who the police begin to suspect may never have existed at all. Both a finely…
Collector, TheCollector, The (1965) Aro Favourite
Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar
Terence Stamp plays a disturbed butterfly collector who kidnaps a girl in the hope that she will grow to love him. Truly memorable chiller maintains…
Flight of the Phoenix, TheFlight of the Phoenix, The (1965) Recommended
Dir. Robert Aldrich
Feat. James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch
One of the great survival–adventure films has an all–star cast crash landing their cargo plane deep in the Sahara, with no obvious means…
MirageMirage (1965)
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, Walter Matthau
An excellent example of the Hitchcockian thriller with Peck an amnesiac caught up in the murder of a philanthropist.
Pierrot Le FouPierrot Le Fou (Crazy Pete) (1965)
Dir. Jean-Luc Godard
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina
A striking example of the French New Wave. It's kiss, kiss, bang, bang all the way with Jean Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina as maverick intellectual…
Dead RingerDead Ringer (1964) Recommended
Dir. Paul Henreid
Feat. Bette Davis
Enjoyable, high camp star vehicle for Bette Davis who is driven by jealousy to murder her twin sister in order to assume her identity. Bette, of…
Fail SafeFail Safe (1964)
Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman
Henry Fonda plays the American president struggling to avert an imminent nuclear holocaust, due to a computer malfunction. A nailbiting Cold War…
Gideon's Way (TV Series)Gideon's Way (TV Series) (1964-1965)
Feat. John Gregson
Superior mid–60s documentary–style police series that centres around the criminal investigations of Commander George Gideon of Scotland…
HamletHamlet (1964) Aro Favourite
Dir. Grigori Kozintsev
Feat. Innokenti Smoktunovsky
The legendary Russian version of Shakespeare's play, which visually at least, stands as the greatest yet. Staged amidst the massive battlements of…
High Bright Sun, TheHigh Bright Sun, The (McGuire, Go Home!) (1964)
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, George Chakiris, Susan Strasberg
Convoluted espionage tale with Bogarde on the trail of a Cypriot freedom fighter with an American Archaeology student holding the key to his…
Hot Enough For JuneHot Enough For June (1964)
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley
A struggling young writer is plunged into a terrifying world of international espionage while on a seemingly innocent commercial assignment to Prague.
Killers, TheKillers, The (1964) Aro Favourite
Dir. Don Siegel
Feat. Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, Angie Dickinson
Transposed into the garish 60s, Ernest Hemingway's famous story is transformed into a harder, more callous exercise in casual violence and sexual…
Kitten with a WhipKitten with a Whip (1964) Recommended
Dir. Douglas Heyes
Feat. Ann-Margret, John Forsythe, Peter Brown
Ann–Margaret brings white–hot intensity to this cult classic about a teenage girl on the run from the law who blackmails a clueless…
MarnieMarnie (1964) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Sean Connery, Tippi Hedren, Martin Gabel
Rich businessman Sean Connery blackmails kleptomaniac secretary Tippi Hedren into marrying him, thence free to try out his own brand of experimental…
Moon Spinners, TheMoon Spinners, The (1964)
Feat. Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Peter McEnery
A Hitchcockian thriller for the younger set from Disney in which a young girl (Hayley Mills) becomes involved in a jewel theft in Crete.
Murder AhoyMurder Ahoy (1964)
Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jeffries, Charles Tingwell
Rutherford dons Miss Marple's hat again, this time boarding a ship to uncover more murders and a ring of thieves.
Murder Most FoulMurder Most Foul (1964)
Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell
Fourth and final film in the Agatha Christie/MGM set. Rutherford appears again as Miss Marple, defiant as the only member of a jury who believes the…
Seance On a Wet AfternoonSeance On a Wet Afternoon (1964) Aro Favourite
Dir. Bryan Forbes
Feat. Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough
This British classic boasts a rare performance by the amazing Kim Stanley as a gently off–her–rocker matron who goads her meek husband…
Seven Days in MaySeven Days in May (1964) Recommended
Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster
Kirk Douglas stumbles upon a conspiracy led by General Burt Lancaster, to bring down the US President (who goes and signs treaties with the…
TopkapiTopkapi (1964) Aro Favourite
Dir. Jules Dassin
Feat. Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell
A classy comic–romantic spin on the director’s RIFIFI shot on location in Turkey and Greece, that climaxes with another brilliantly exacted…
Birds, TheBirds, The (1963) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy
Hitch's masterful rendering of Daphne Du Maurier's novella contains some of his most memorable set pieces, as the population of a seaside resort come…
Doulos, LeDoulos, Le (The Finger Man) (1963) Recommended
Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani
Eschewing the French New Wave movement in favour of homage to the then ‘passe’ genre of film noir, dir. Jean–Pierre Melville adds shades of…
Francis Durbridge Presents...Francis Durbridge Presents... (1963)
Feat. Nigel Hawthorne, Denis Quilley, Gerald Harper
A collection of mystery writer Francis Durbridge's works for BBC television. Billed as 'event' thrillers they featured an enjoyable mix of…
High and LowHigh and Low (1963) Aro Favourite
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Toshiro Mifune
Adapted from a crime–novel by Ed McBain, this kidnapping–thriller is a central work in dir. Kurosawa’s series of film noirs, combining…
List Of Adrian Messenger, TheList Of Adrian Messenger, The (1963)
Dir. John Huston
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis
An intelligence officer is on the trail of a psychopath intent on working his bloody way through a seemingly unrelated list of…
Man from the Diners' Club, TheMan from the Diners' Club, The (1963)
Dir. Frank Tashlin
Feat. Danny Kaye, Cara Williams, Martha Hyer
Comedy with Danny Kaye playing a meek clerk who gets into trouble when he approves a Diner's Club card for a mobster running a racketeering…
Murder at the GallopMurder at the Gallop (1963)
Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Margaret Rutherford, Robert Morley, Dame Flora Robson
Agatha Christie on film with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. Suspicions mount as relatives gather for the reading of a dead man's will.
Prize, ThePrize, The (1963)
Dir. Mark Robson
Feat. Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer
Paul Newman plays an alcoholic writer in Stockholm to collect his Nobel Prize who drunkenly stumbles upon an overly complicated spy plot.
Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The (TV Series)Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The (TV Series) (1962-1965) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, various
Picking up directly from where 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' left off, this three season series expands Hitch's iconic mystery anthology to 50 minute…
Cape FearCape Fear (1962) Recommended
Dir. J. Lee-Thompson
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck
The original chiller that inspired the recent remake, complete with Bernard Herrmann's bombastic score. Robert Mitchum plays the ex–con…
Day the Earth Caught Fire, TheDay the Earth Caught Fire, The (1962)
Dir. Val Guest
Feat. Edward Judd, Leo McKern
A solidly old–fashioned 'disaster film' in which H–Bomb test knock the Earth of its axis, leading to terrifying and accelerating climate…
Devil's Hand, TheDevil's Hand, The (1962)
Dir. William J. Hole Jnr
Feat. Linda Christian, Robert Alda, Neil Hamilton
Hammy low–budget horror of a man seduced by a blonde vixen who forces him to become involved in a mysterious satanic cult she holds allegiance…
Dr. CrippenDr. Crippen (1962)
Dir. Robert Lynn
Feat. Donald Pleasence, Coral Browne, Samantha Eggar
This well paced drama centered around Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen's murder of his wife was originally billed as a horror, but is actually a rather…
Five Miles to MidnightFive Miles to Midnight (1962)
Dir. Anatole Litvak
Feat. Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, Gig Young
Unfocused but intriguing murder–mystery with Anthony Perkins as a domineering, jealous husband who convinces his wife (Loren) to collect…
Knife in the WaterKnife in the Water (1962) Recommended
Dir. Roman Polanski
Feat. Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz
The old adage 'three is a crowd' is chillingly played out in Polanski's directing debut about a couple's troubled yachting weekend with a…
Lonely Are The BraveLonely Are The Brave (1962) Aro Favourite
Dir. David Miller
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau
Kirk Douglas is on top form in this Dalton Trumbo–penned 'psychological' Western, playing an anti–establishment cowboy who purposefully…
Manchurian Candidate, TheManchurian Candidate, The (1962) Aro Favourite
Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh
Politically–charged nail–biter with Frank Sinatra experiencing post–war paranoia about a fellow soldier who may have been…
Blast of SilenceBlast of Silence (1961) Recommended
Dir. Allen Baron
Feat. Allen Baron
Grumpy, low–fi noir presides over the movements of a tetchy contract killer (dir. Baron) as he prepares to whack a two–bit mobster during…
Five Minutes To LiveFive Minutes To Live (Door-to-Door Maniac) (1961)
Dir. Bill Karn
Feat. Johnny Cash, Cay Forrester, Donald Woods
Little known B–movie thriller with Cash and Forrester playing hoods who complete a smalltown bank robbery, then start paying suburban house…
Frightened City, TheFrightened City, The (1961)
Dir. John Lemont
Feat. Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, John Gregson
London becomes terrorised by protection racketeers who intend to amalgamate into one vast crime syndicate.
Innocents, TheInnocents, The (1961) Aro Favourite
Dir. Jack Clayton
Feat. Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins
Notable adaptation of Henry James' ghost story "The Turn of the Screw", featuring Deborah Kerr as a neurotic nanny. Taking a job at a spooky…
Murder She SaidMurder She Said (1961)
Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Margaret Rutherford, Arthur Kennedy, James Robertson-Justice
Miss Marple sees a murder aboard a passing train. First of four accomplished Agatha Christie films starring Margaret Rutherford.
VictimVictim (1961)
Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Syms
As an English barrister blackmailed over his homosexual past, Dirk Bogarde gives a keynote performance, the first in what was to become a long line…
Young Savages, The Young Savages, The (1961)
Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Burt Lancaster, Dina Merrill, Edward Andrews
Arresting crime drama set on the segregated streets of East Harlem and focused on a district attorney investigating the murder of a blind Puerto…
Classe Tous RisquesClasse Tous Risques (Consider All Risks) (1960) Recommended
Dir. Claude Sautet
Feat. Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Sandra Milo
French–Italian gangster film following the exploits of a French mobster (Lino Ventura, based on a real life henchman for the French Gestapo)…
Criminal, TheCriminal, The (1960)
Dir. Joseph Losey
Feat. Sam Wanamaker, Gregoire Aslan
Joseph–Losey–directed crime drama of a con sent to prison after a profitable robbery who is tortured by his fellow prisoners to leak…
Die 1000 Augen des Dr. MabuseDie 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse (The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse) (1960)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Dawn Addams, Peter Van Eyck, Gert Frobe
The final film in Fritz Lang's DR. MABUSE series, which includes DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER and THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE, is also the director's…
Midnight LaceMidnight Lace (1960)
Dir. David Miller
Feat. Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin
Suave thriller with a strong dramatic performance for Day who plays a newly–wed in Paris taunted and pursued by a stalker.
Murder, Inc.Murder, Inc. (1960)
Dir. Stuart Rosenberg, Burt Balaban
Feat. Stuart Whitman, Peter Falk, Simon Oakland
Cinemascope gangland film based on the true story of the eponymous Brooklyn gang that operated in the 1930s. It launched the careers of both Stuart…
October Man, TheOctober Man, The (1960)
Dir. Roy Ward Baker
Feat. John Mills, Joan Greenwood, Edward Chapman
Atmospheric pot–boiler in which John Mills plays an amnesiac accused of murder who fights to prove his innocence, apprehend the murderer and…
Portrait in BlackPortrait in Black (1960)
Dir. Michael Gordon
Feat. Lana Turner, Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart
Sudsy potboiler with Turner and Quinn murdering Turner's wealthy husband, unfortunately the perfect crime does not go undetected. Campy fun.
Rise and Fall of 'Legs' Diamond, TheRise and Fall of 'Legs' Diamond, The (1960)
Dir. Budd Boetticher
Feat. Ray Danton, Karen Steele, Elaine Stewart
A professionally–shot thriller about the career of New York gangster Jack 'Legs' Diamond, who rose to prominence in the 1920s and maintained…
A Bout de SouffleA Bout de Souffle (Breathless) (1959)
Dir. Jean-Luc Godard
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger
Godard's landmark first film pulls out all the stops in the style department – with Jean–Paul Belmondo as the romantic fugitive,…
Anatomy of a MurderAnatomy of a Murder (1959) Recommended
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara
Smalltown lawyer James Stewart defends a man accused of murdering a suspected rapist. The shifting ambiguities of the case make this more a…
CompulsionCompulsion (1959)
Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles
As distinctive a rendition of the infamous Leopold–Loeb murder case as ROPE and SWOON, Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman playing the…
Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, TheGreat St. Louis Bank Robbery, The (1959)
Dir. Charles Guggenheim, John Stix
Feat. Steve McQueen
This noir thriller is one of McQueen's best early roles, and although somewhat obscure has a cult reputation for its shootout scenes and intense,…
Last Train from Gun HillLast Train from Gun Hill (1959)
Dir. John Sturges
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones
Underrated American Western telling the tale of a U.S. Marshal seeking revenge in the town of 'Gun Hill' after the racially charged rape and murder…
North by NorthwestNorth by Northwest (1959) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
Cary Grant becomes a victim of mistaken identity and is chased across America by enemy agents, in one stylish set piece after another. One of Hitch's…
Odds Against TomorrowOdds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters
Injecting race problems into a surefire thriller formula, this has an unstable criminal trio – ex–convict (Ryan), crooked cop (Begley)…
One Step Beyond (TV Series)One Step Beyond (TV Series) (1959)
Feat. John Newland
Classic television series billed as 'your guide to the supernatural' serves half–hour docudramas of unexplained, paranormal 'true events'.…
SapphireSapphire (1959)
Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig
Scandalous subject–wise for post–war Britain, where a murdered black woman is discovered to have been posing as white. Obviously dated…
Tiger BayTiger Bay (1959)
Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. John Mills, Hayley Mills, Horst Buchholz
Haley Mills’ breakthrough is a memorable and mature British thriller; she plays witness to a murder by a Polish sailor, who she subsequent…
Untouchables, The (TV Series)Untouchables, The (TV Series) (1959-1963) Recommended
Feat. Robert Stack, Paul Picerni
An iconic crime series that once baited controversy for its escalation of television violence, this pulled out the stops to authentically…
Bonnie Parker Story, TheBonnie Parker Story, The (1958)
Dir. William Witney
Feat. Dorothy Provine, Dick Bakalyan, Jack Hogan
Dorothy Provine is sensational in this low–budget telling the story of the tommy–gun toting 1930s gangster Bonnie Parker,…
Cry Terror!Cry Terror! (1958)
Dir. Andrew L. Stone
Feat. James Mason, Inger Stevens, Rod Steiger
Crime thriller with Rod Steiger as a mad extortionist who forces a New York shop owner (James Mason) to collect a ransom after threatening to blow up…
Defiant Ones, TheDefiant Ones, The (1958)
Dir. Stanley Kramer
Feat. Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier
That well known image of race–hatred – escaped black and white prisoners unwillingly handcuffed together – originated here, with…
Party GirlParty Girl (1958) Recommended
Dir. Nicholas Ray
Feat. Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb
Delicious Nicholas Ray–directed potboiler finds bum–legged Robert Taylor trying to cut ties with the mob. A slinky Cyd Charisse (tearing…
Sea of SandSea of Sand (Desert Patrol) (1958)
Dir. Guy Green
Feat. Richard Attenborough, Vincent Ball, Michael Craig
Brit war thriller about an army team sent to destroy a German petrol dump in preparation for an attack who are confronted by their enemies in the…
Thunder RoadThunder Road (1958) Recommended
Dir. Arthur Ripley
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, Jacques Aubuchon
Effective, gritty road movie about a mountain man moonshiner at war with both authorities and big–city competitors. An unusually personal…
VertigoVertigo (1958) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Hitchcock at his most daring and surreal weaves a complex tale of neurosis when Jimmy Stewart's detective begins trailing a mysterious woman (Novak).…
Across the BridgeAcross the Bridge (1957)
Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Rod Steiger, Marla Landi, Noel Willman
An underrated and little–known thriller with Steiger playing a shady accountant on the run from the FBI and Scotland Yard, who tries to make…
Heaven Knows, Mr. AllisonHeaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Dir. John Huston
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr
Kerr and Mitchum play a nun and Marine sergeant respectively, who are stranded on a desert island during WWII – the island happens to also be…
Hell DriversHell Drivers (Hard Drivers) (1957)
Dir. Cy Endfield
Feat. Patrick McGoohan, Sir Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom
Stanley Baker plays a hard–nosed trucker forced to take on a dangerous long haul, through which a bitter rivalry develops with a fellow driver…
Night PassageNight Passage (1957)
Dir. James Neilson
Feat. James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea
A 'railroad western' with good guy Stewart defending the tracks against a gang of desperados led by Duryea. Tough cast give some distinction to a…
One That Got Away, TheOne That Got Away, The (Einer Kam Durch) (1957)
Dir. Roy Ward Baker
Feat. Hardy Kruger, Colin Gordon, Terence Alexander
Sturdy war thriller centred on the true story of German airman Franz von Werra – the only German POW to successfully escape from allied custody…
Perry Mason (TV Series)Perry Mason (TV Series) (1957-1966) Recommended
Feat. Raymond Burr, William Hopper, William Talman
Benchmark legal drama series which turned star Raymond Burr into a television institution as the near–invincible criminal lawyer, Perry…
River's Edge, TheRiver's Edge, The (1957)
Dir. Allan Dwan
Feat. Ray Milland, Anthony Quinn, Debra Paget
Tight crime drama with Milland as a murderous thief who forces Quinn to escort him safely across the desert to Mexico. There's a nice twist in the…
Time Without PityTime Without Pity (1957) Recommended
Dir. Joseph Losey
Feat. Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd
Nervy noir has Michael Redgrave in top form as an alcoholic father racing against time to save his son from the gallows. Somewhat dated thriller…
TimelockTimelock (1957)
Dir. Gerald Thomas
Feat. Sean Connery, Robert Beatty, Lee Patterson
Tense thriller based on a play by Arthur Hailey (AIRPORT), in which a young boy is locked in a bank vault by accident, which can only be opened…
Twelve Angry MenTwelve Angry Men (12 Angry Men) (1957) Aro Favourite
Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley
Henry Fonda holds–out on a unanimous jury who wish to convict an alleged murderer. A sweltering tension is worked up as he struggles to…
Vicious Circle, TheVicious Circle, The (Circle) (1957)
Dir. Gerald Thomas
Feat. John Mills, Derek Farr, Lionel Jeffries
Neatly convoluted mystery has John Mills play an eminent medical specialist who is implicated in a murder when the body of a German actress turns up…
Witness for the ProsecutionWitness for the Prosecution (1957) Recommended
Dir. Billy Wilder
Feat. Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton
Tense courtroom thriller, with Tyrone Power in the dock, defended by Charles Laughton, and consoled by wife Marlene Dietrich. Agatha Christie's story…
23 Paces To Baker Street23 Paces To Baker Street (1956)
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. Van Johnson, Vera Miles, Cecil Parker
Genuine nail–biter with Van Johnson as a blind writer who has the misfortune to overhear a kidnapping plot, enlisting his two friends he sets…
BacklashBacklash (1956)
Dir. John Sturges
Feat. Richard Widmark, Donna Reed, William Campbell
Richard Widmark and Donna Reed play the tough–talkin', rootin–tootin leads in this gritty horse opera, as they both seek vengeance for…
Beyond a Reasonable DoubtBeyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine, Sidney Blackmer
This bleak film noir from director Fritz Lang is a triumph of style and mood with a cynical take on fate and the human condition. An impeccably…
Killer is Loose, TheKiller is Loose, The (1956)
Dir. Budd Boetticher
Feat. Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey
Film noir about a bank robber who escapes prison and sets out on a revenge mission to bring down the cop the killed his wife. Leaning heavily into…
Kiss Before Dying, AKiss Before Dying, A (1956) Recommended
Dir. Gerd Oswald
Feat. Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Joanne Woodward
The first and best version of Ira Levin's (ROSEMARY'S BABY) early novel, in which status–anxious student Wagner plots the murder of his…
Man Escaped, AMan Escaped, A (1956) Recommended
Dir. Robert Bresson
Feat. Francois Leterrier
Bresson's films are all extremely controlled in style: no suspense, no histrionics, flat acting, spare and simple camerawork, yet this is an…
Man in the VaultMan in the Vault (1956)
Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen
Feat. William Campbell, Berry Kroeger, Karen Sharpe
Tommy Dancer is an ordinary man thrust into an extraordinary situation – a locksmith forced into a heist by a ruthless mobster and his…
Man Who Knew Too Much, TheMan Who Knew Too Much, The (1956) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. James Stewart, Doris Day
Hitchcock remakes his 1934 film and generally comes up trumps with James Stewart and Doris Day as the innocent victims of international espionage.…
Please Murder MePlease Murder Me (Please Murder Me!) (1956) Recommended
Dir. Peter Godfrey
Feat. Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr, Dick Foran
Raymond Burr and Angela Lansbury square off in this tough–minded noir about a lawyers who successfully defends his client only to discover…
Run for the SunRun for the Sun (1956)
Dir. Roy Boulting
Feat. Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard, Jane Greer
Righteous remake of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME has Widmark and Greer running through some almighty foliage desperate to evade smarmy baddie…
Unguarded Moment, TheUnguarded Moment, The (1956)
Dir. Harry Keller
Feat. Esther Williams, George Nader, John Saxon
Film noir with MGM star Esther Williams playing a High School music teacher and unmarried 'career woman' who is targeted by a stalker. Although…
While the City SleepsWhile the City Sleeps (1956) Recommended
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders
Considered a vastly under–rated Fritz Lang noir, this newspaper drama provides plenty of social commentary depicting the story of the "Lipstick…
Wrong Man, TheWrong Man, The (1956)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda plays a New York musician whose personal life is dismantled through being falsely accused of robbery. The documentary style well suits…
Yield to the NightYield to the Night (Blonde Sinner) (1956) Recommended
Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. Diana Dors, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig
British crime drama film that features a celebrated performance by "blonde bombshell" Diana Dors. Bearing a coincidental resemblance to the Ruth…
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) (1955-1962) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, various
Feat. Vera Miles, Ralph Meeker, John Forsythe
Pre–dating THE TWILIGHT ZONE by some years, the Master of Suspense created this iconic television series featuring self–contained tales…
Bad Day at Black RockBad Day at Black Rock (1955) Aro Favourite
Dir. John Sturges
Feat. Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin
An unflappable Spencer Tracy arrives in a desolate town to investigate a dormant missing–persons report, but the surly locals don't take to…
Bob Le FlambeurBob Le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) (1955) Recommended
Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corney
Superb French noir from the dir. of LE SAMOURAI, here debuting with a taut plan to rob the Deauville casino, that grows ever more perilous for…
Confidential ReportConfidential Report (Mr. Arkadin) (1955)
Dir. Orson Welles
Feat. Orson Welles, Robert Arden, Paola Mori
A typically Welles–ian shaggy dog story, with Welles himself playing a possibly insane, Kane–like billionaire, who hires a detective to…
Desperate Hours, TheDesperate Hours, The (1955)
Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy
A bunch of escaped convicts, led by Bogart, hold a family hostage in this domestic noir thriller based on the Broadway play by Joseph Hayes.…
House Of BambooHouse Of Bamboo (1955)
Dir. Samuel Fuller
Feat. Robert Ryan, Robert Stack, Shirley Yamaguchi
Samuel Fuller directs this exciting Tokyo–set noir, about an American army cop who goes undercover to take down an organised crime ring lead by…
I Died A Thousand TimesI Died A Thousand Times (1955)
Dir. Stuart Heisler
Feat. Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin
Enjoyable remake of High Sierra that benefits from a fantastic cast and a rousing finale. Look for a young and uncredited Dennis Hopper.
Man with the Golden Arm, TheMan with the Golden Arm, The (1955)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak
Cardsharp Frank Sinatra, is fresh out of 'the joint' with dreams of being a jazz drummer. Heroin though, is keeping him down, trapped in a…
Man Without A StarMan Without A Star (1955)
Dir. King Vidor
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor
Character–driven Western sees Kirk Douglas plays a laconic gunslinger with a dark–side, who drifts from scrape to scrape while working…
Night My Number Came Up, TheNight My Number Came Up, The (1955)
Dir. Leslie Norman
Feat. Michael Redgrave, Sheila Sim, Alexander Knox
A prophetic nightmare about an ill–fated plane flight begins to play out as reality for 13 passengers aboard a British military aircraft in…
Pete Kelly's BluesPete Kelly's Blues (1955)
Dir. Jack Webb
Feat. Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien
Musical set in 1920's Kansas which blends jazz, gangsters and political corruption. Directed by and starring Jack Webb as a cornet player who is…
RififiRififi (1955) Aro Favourite
Dir. Jules Dassin
Feat. Jean Servais, Jules Dassin, Magali Noel
The French reclaim film noir with this methodical and stylish heist movie, famous for its 35 minute real–time bank robbery, executed in virtual…
Soldier of FortuneSoldier of Fortune (1955)
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Clark Gable, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie
Mercenary Clark Gable is recruited to search for Hayward's lost husband in this proficient Hong Kong set thriller. Anti–communist thriller…
Storm FearStorm Fear (1955)
Dir. Cornel Wilde
Feat. Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Dan Duryea
Crime noir about a gang member who seeks shelter with his brother's family after being wounded during a botched bank robbery. Once there, he…
Trouble with Harry, TheTrouble with Harry, The (1955)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. John Forsythe, Shirley Maclaine
The trouble with Harry is that he's dead, and the townspeople, including a young John Forsyth and Shirley Maclaine, don't quite know how to deal with…
Violent SaturdayViolent Saturday (1955)
Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Victor Mature, Richard Egan, Stephen McNally
Crisp southern noir in which a bank robbery gone wrong ignites trouble in amongst the morally corrupt citizens of a small town. Ripping dialogue and…
An Inspector CallsAn Inspector Calls (1954)
Dir. Guy Hamilton
Feat. Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham
Alastair Sim, superb here as the titular inspector, bears down on a smug upper crust family whose closely–guarded secrets are exposed to…
Caine Mutiny, TheCaine Mutiny, The (1954)
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Humphrey Bogart
Solid action with unstable Ship's Captain Humphrey Bogart contending with mutinies and typhoons.
Dial M for MurderDial M for Murder (1954) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Ray Milland, Grace Kelly
An ageing tennis champion arranges the death of his wife for her inheritance. Hitch adapts the chilling stageplay, obviously well at home with the…
Good Die Young, TheGood Die Young, The (1954) Recommended
Dir. Lewis Gilbert
Feat. Laurence Harvey, Sir Stanley Baker, Joan Collins
Fiery British heist–noir with a debt–burdened Laurence Harvey leading a motley crew of down–on–their–luck military men…
Les DiaboliquesLes Diaboliques (1954) Recommended
Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse
Simone Signoret stars as one of two women who conspire to murder the man they share – a sadistic schoolmaster. Iconic French thriller with a…
Life at Stake, ALife at Stake, A (1954)
Dir. Paul Guilfoyle
Feat. Angela Lansbury, Keith Andes, Douglas Dumbrille
Minor noir elevated by the presence of Lansbury as a seductress who's business proposition to a struggling architect may not be strictly financial.
LifeboatLifeboat (1954)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix
Enterprising thriller staged entirely within the confines of a lifeboat. Its simplistic anti–Nazi politic is perhaps redeemed by Tallulah…
Night PeopleNight People (1954)
Dir. Nunnally Johnson
Feat. Gregory Peck, Broderick Crawford, Anita Bjork
Talky thriller with Gregory Peck as a Colonel trying to negotiate the release of a young G.I. held in East Germany. Plenty of political chicanery and…
Rear WindowRear Window (1954) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. James Stewart, Grace Kelly
Convalescing photographer Jimmy Stewart observes what may have been a murder in an opposing apartment. A Hitchcock must.
Ring Of FearRing Of Fear (1954)
Dir. James Edward Grant
Feat. Clyde Beatty, Mickey Spillane, Pat O'Brien
Campy thriller with lion tamer Clyde Beatty and crime writer Mickey Spillane, appearing as themselves, teaming up to track a killer obsessed with a…
Sleeping TigerSleeping Tiger (1954)
Dir. Joseph Losey
Feat. Dirk Bogarde
Suave street–crim Dirk Bogarde is sheltered by one of his victims, a psychiatrist who attempts to cure Bogarde's 'illness'. Shot with a baroque…
SuddenlySuddenly (1954) Recommended
Dir. Lewis Allen
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden
Frank Sinatra impresses in an unsympathetic role: a sneering, cynical war–veteran out to practice his marksmanship on the President of the…
To Catch a ThiefTo Catch a Thief (1954)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Cary Grant, Grace Kelly
Hitchcock takes a whimsical approach for this caper about a reformed cat burglar who sets about catching the thief that is imitating his old style.…
Witness to MurderWitness to Murder (1954)
Dir. Roy Rowland
Feat. Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill
Film noir following a woman who doubts her sanity after witnessing a murder from her apartment window. While the cops think she is just some…
Beat the DevilBeat the Devil (1953)
Dir. John Huston
Feat. Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre
Spoofing their own suspense movies (such as CASABLANCA and MALTESE FALCON), Humphrey Bogart and dir. Huston produced this comic oddity with the help…
Hitch-Hiker, TheHitch-Hiker, The (1953)
Dir. Ida Lupino
Feat. Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Weekend hunters Edmond O’Brien (D.O.A.) and Frank Lovejoy are terrorised by a psychotic, mass–murdering passenger (William Talman) in this…
I ConfessI Confess (1953)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden
Striking Wellesian cinematography and an excellent performance by proto–Method actor Montgomery Clift more than make up for minor shortcomings…
Man Who Watched Trains Go By, The (1953)
Dir. Harold French
Feat. Claude Rains
Dutch office clerk Claude Rains hurtles on the Paris Express when he stumbles across stolen loot and his boss winds up dead. Based on the Georges…
SeminoleSeminole (1953)
Dir. Budd Boetticher
Feat. Rock Hudson, Barbara Hale, Anthony Quinn
Superlative Western set against the backdrop of 1835 Florida, where Rock Hudson plays a West Pointer Lieutenant who, on the insistence of Richard…
Thunder BayThunder Bay (1953)
Dir. Anthony Mann
Feat. James Stewart, Joanne Dru, Gilbert Roland
Stewart and Mann swap horses for oil–rigs – though its still very much a western – in this brawny adventure set in the Gulf of…
Wages of FearWages of Fear (Salaire de la Peur, Le) (1953) Aro Favourite
Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Yves Montand, Charles Vanel
A young Yves Montand leads a group of impoverished men over rocky Latin American terrain with a dangerous load of nitro–glycerine. Considered…
Angel FaceAngel Face (1952)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons is a woman possessed in this quietly unconventional film noir, playing a take–no–prisoners femme fatale who systematically…
Clash by NightClash by Night (1952)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe
Simmering jealousies in a run–down fishing village provide downbeat fare from the pen of Clifford Odets. With Barbara Stanwyk, Robert Ryan and…
Five FingersFive Fingers (5 Fingers) (1952)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie
Witty espionage thriller set during the Second World War with Mason as a status–hungry valet who hawks important documents to the Germans in…
HuntedHunted (1952)
Dir. Charles Crichton
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, Kay Walsh, Geoffrey Keen
Brit suspense trailing an orphan on the run from his foster parents wrath after an accident who is kidnapped by a wanted criminal who trys to prevent…
Kansas City ConfidentialKansas City Confidential (1952)
Dir. Phil Karlson
Feat. Lee Van Cleef, John Payne, Coleen Gray
A grimly tough crime drama set in the Kansas City underworld. Payne plays an ex–con who is jailed for an unrelated crime, and on release…
Narrow MarginNarrow Margin (1952) Recommended
Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White
A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against their assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
NiagaraNiagara (1952) Recommended
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters
This bold film provided Marilyn with her first big part, and it's possibly her best. She's a scheming, faithless wife who plots to murder her husband…
Planter's Wife, ThePlanter's Wife, The (Outpost in Malaya) (1952)
Dir. Ken Annakin
Feat. Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel
Claudette Colbert and Jack Hawkins star in this fiery actioner as plantation owners under siege from commie bandits. Colbert is a dab hand with a…
Venetian BirdVenetian Bird (Assassin) (1952)
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Richard Todd, Eva Bartok, John Gregson
Complex thriller with a detective sent to Venice by an insurance company finds himself on the run after being framed for a series of murders.…
Detective StoryDetective Story (1951)
Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, Cathy O'Donnell
Kirk Douglas is his grizzled, hard–bitten self as one of several detectives trying to get through the work day at a busy Brooklyn…
He Ran All The WayHe Ran All The Way (1951)
Dir. John Berry
Feat. John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford
Tense film noir features John Garfield as a bank robber on the run and Shelly Winters as the woman who takes him into her home. Garfield's final…
On Dangerous GroundOn Dangerous Ground (1951) Aro Favourite
Dir. Nicholas Ray
Feat. Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond
Grimly rewarding noir, with real–life tough guy Robert Ryan in one of his best roles. As a cop helping with a protracted rural manhunt, he…
Prowler, TheProwler, The (1951) Aro Favourite
Dir. Joseph Losey
Feat. Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes, John Maxwell
This underseen "perv noir" deliciously subverts archetypes by twisting its menacing male lead (a terrific Van Heflin) into a 'homme fatale', replete…
Racket, TheRacket, The (1951)
Dir. John Cromwell
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Lizabeth Scott
An incorruptible police captain's attempts to clean up the streets of his town leads to confrontation with the local mob boss. Minor noir, previously…
Strangers On a TrainStrangers On a Train (1951) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Robert Walker, Farley Granger
The Master of Suspense justifies his mantle with this consummate thriller. He executes one glorious set piece after another as psycho Robert Walker…
Blue Lamp, TheBlue Lamp, The (1950)
Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, Patrick Doonan, Jack Warner
A confident, precisely–judged thriller set in post–war London, with feral petty–crooks Dirk Bogarde and Patrick Doonan being hunted…
Clouded Yellow, TheClouded Yellow, The (1950) Recommended
Dir. Ralph Thomas
Feat. Jean Simmons, Trevor Howard, Kenneth More
Superior British noir with Howard as a jaded ex–secret service agent pressed into service when he falls for the charms of mysterious young…
Damned Don't Cry, TheDamned Don't Cry, The (1950)
Dir. Vincent Sherman
Feat. Joan Crawford, David Brian, Steve Cochran
Loosely based on the relationship between Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, this riveting film tells of a New York socialite's involvement with an…
Enforcer, TheEnforcer, The (1950)
Dir. Bretaigne Windust
Feat. Humphrey Bogart
Gripping, well–characterized crime drama leads D.A. Humphrey Bogart into the seedy underworld to trail the leader of a notorious murder ring.
House by the RiverHouse by the River (1950)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman, Jane Wyatt
Crime noir which chillingly evokes the Victorian era thanks to director Fritz Lang's characteristic attention to detail and mood. When a rich…
Panic in the StreetsPanic in the Streets (1950) Recommended
Dir. Elia Kazan
Feat. Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes
Early New Orleans–set Kazan noir, follows the hunt for a killer who may be spreading a bubonic plague. Tense, detailed examination of morality…
So Long at the FairSo Long at the Fair (1950)
Dir. Antony Damborough, Terence Fisher
Feat. Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson
Spooky urban legend gets the cinematic treatment in this accomplished chiller. At the 1896 World Fair in Paris two siblings check into a hotel, in…
Stage FrightStage Fright (1950)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding
Aspiring actress Jane Wyman investigates her friend's claims of innocence after he's imprisoned for murder. A polished job from Hitch, notable for a…
Where the Sidewalk EndsWhere the Sidewalk Ends (1950) Recommended
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Dana Andrews, Karl Malden, Gary Merrill
In one of his keynote roles, Dana Andrews plays an over–aggressive cop on the dirty sidewalks of New York who takes matters into his own hands…
Woman on the RunWoman on the Run (1950)
Dir. Norman Foster
Feat. Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith
Twisty, San Fransisco–set noir spins a gripping yarn around a mob witness on the run and his estranged wife in grave danger. Excellent and…
Black MagicBlack Magic (1949)
Dir. Gregory Ratoff
Feat. Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff
Orson Welles excels an 18th century hypnotist, part Gypsy charlatan, part demonic master of the black arts, who uses his powers for revenge against…
House of StrangersHouse of Strangers (1949) Recommended
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, Richard Conte
A tour–de–force performance from Edward G. Robinson as a wealthy Italian American patriarch whose controlling presence in his sons' lives…
Man on the Eiffel Tower, TheMan on the Eiffel Tower, The (1949)
Dir. Burgess Meredith
Feat. Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Burgess Meredith
Solid early outing for Inspector Maigret has Laughton in the iconic role pursuing a murderer against some splendid Parisian locales.
ObsessionObsession (The Hidden Room) (1949)
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Robert Newton, Phil Brown
Loaded film noir of jealously gone awry, with Robert Newton kidapping his wife’s latest adulterous fling, and threatening, among other things, a…
Reckless Moment, TheReckless Moment, The (1949) Aro Favourite
Dir. Max Ophuls
Feat. James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks
Masterful suspenser in which concerned parent Joan Bennett covers up an apparent murder in order to protect her vulnerable daughter and…
Thieves' HighwayThieves' Highway (1949) Recommended
Dir. Jules Dassin
Feat. Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb
One of dir. Dassin's early noir triumphs, this has Conte seeking to avenge his father's maiming at the hands of a corrupt Californian fruit…
Third Man, TheThird Man, The (1949) Aro Favourite
Dir. Carol Reed
Feat. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard
Superb romantic thriller about a writer in post–war Vienna whose old friend fails to meet him – under mysterious circumstances. Justly…
TrappedTrapped (1949)
Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt
U.S. Treasury Department agents go after a ring of counterfeiters in this fast–paced B–noir.
WhirlpoolWhirlpool (1949)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer
Tierney stars as Mrs Ann Sutton, a beautiful woman who seems to be living the dream in LA with her successful psychoanalyst husband William (Conte),…
A Woman's VengeanceA Woman's Vengeance (1948)
Dir. Zoltan Korda
Feat. Charles Boyer, Ann Blyth, Jessica Tandy
Murder caper based on the short story "The Gioconda Smile" by Aldous Huxley. Charles Boyer (GASLIGHT) plays a philanderer who's accused of…
Blanche FuryBlanche Fury (1948)
Dir. Marc Allegret
Feat. Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger, Michael Gough
Gothic melodrama set around a sombre English country estate, soon to be home to upwardly–ambitious Valerie Hobson. When her secret lover…
Call Northside 777Call Northside 777 (1948) Recommended
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. James Stewart, Lee J. Cobb, Richard Conte
An enjoyable 'noir' yarn, based on the true story of a man unjustly imprisoned for the murder of a policeman in 1930s Chicago. Jimmie Stewart…
Cry of the CityCry of the City (1948) Recommended
Dir. Robert Siodmak
Feat. Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark
Dying cop–killer Conte refuses to confess to a crime, and worries that childhood friend turned flinty cop Mature, will implicate his girlfriend…
Dick Barton Trilogy, TheDick Barton Trilogy, The (Dick Barton Special Agent, Dick Barton Strikes Back, Dick Barton at Bay) (1948-1950)
Dir. Godfrey Grayson, Alfred J. Goulding
Feat. Don Stannard, Sebastian Cabot, George Ford
A collection of three campy spy thrillers from Hammer Studios during their successful post–war period, with Don Stannard playing the special…
Drunken AngelDrunken Angel (Yoidore tenshi) (1948)
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura
The film that made Toshiro Mifune a star – playing a petty gangster with TB, who turns to an alcoholic doctor for help after a shoot–out.…
Fallen Idol, TheFallen Idol, The (1948) Recommended
Dir. Carol Reed
Feat. Ralph Richardson
Celebrated, tasteful British thriller about the muddled attempt of an 8–year–old ambassador's son to protect the embassy butler (Ralph…
Gun CrazyGun Crazy (1948) Aro Favourite
Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
Feat. John Dall, Peggy Cummins
Cocked with outstanding set pieces, daring twists and a desperate, exciting romanticism, this 'B–movie' thriller makes the grade with any of…
He Walked By NightHe Walked By Night (1948)
Dir. Alfred L. Werker
Feat. Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts
High–tension film noir shot in semi documentary style follows Richard Basehart as a psychopathic loner being doggedly pursued by LAPD's finest.
My Brother's KeeperMy Brother's Keeper (1948)
Dir. Alfred Roome
Feat. Jack Warner, Jane Hylton, David Tomlinson
Rickety chase film from Gainsborough Pictures with two prisoners chained together making a dash for freedom.
Naked City, TheNaked City, The (1948)
Dir. Jules Dassin
Feat. Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart
Classic crime thriller has its eye on a young woman's murder in the 'naked city' of New York, and the two veteran cops in charge of tracking down her…
Paradine Case, TheParadine Case, The (1948)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Gregory Peck, Alida Valli, Ann Todd
Lawyer Gregory Peck falls in love with the 'wrong woman', in this case Alida Valli, a client charged with murdering her blind husband. In classic…
Sorry, Wrong NumberSorry, Wrong Number (1948) Recommended
Dir. Anatole Litvak
Feat. Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster
The great Barbara Stanwyck cracks up in this crime melodrama, an enjoyably overrought 'visualisation' of what was a gripping and highly successful…
Street With No Name, TheStreet With No Name, The (1948) Recommended
Dir. William Keighley
Feat. Mark Stevens, Richard Widmark, Lloyd Nolan
One of the grittier film noirs of the 1940s, evokes its tale of corruption, mob violence and FBI infiltration with a semi–documentary surface.…
Velvet Touch, TheVelvet Touch, The (1948)
Dir. Jack Gage
Feat. Rosalind Russell, Leon Ames, Leo Genn
Film noir with Rosalind Russell (HIS GIRL FRIDAY) playing a Broadway star who accidentally kills her producer during an argument, then stands by as a…
A Double LifeA Double Life (1947)
Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Ronald Colman, Signe Hasso, Shelley Winters
Ronald Colman won a Best Actor Oscar as a Broadway idol who immerses himself in the role of Othello and allows his off–stage cruel streak to…
Born to KillBorn to Kill (1947) Recommended
Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, Audrey Long
Cracking, hard–edged B–movie thriller, with studly Lawrence Tierney as a ‘homme fatale’ who seduces his way into a cushy marriage in…
Brighton RockBrighton Rock (1947) Recommended
Dir. John Boulting
Feat. Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell
One of the coolest British crime flicks sees Richard Attenborough give an attention–grabbing portrayal of a delinquent gang leader who wants…
Brute ForceBrute Force (1947) Recommended
Dir. Jules Dassin
Feat. Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford
Surprisingly visceral and violent for its time, this prison drama sees Lancaster play a tough inmate in Westgate Penitentiary who decides to wage war…
CrossfireCrossfire (1947) Recommended
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan
Controversial Best Picture nominee, with Robert Mitchum investigating an anti–Semitic murder committed amongst American soldiers recently…
Dark PassageDark Passage (1947)
Dir. Delmer Daves
Feat. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Smokey Bogie and Bacall noir thriller in which his convicted murderer flees prison and changes his face to prove his innocence. The first third is…
Desert FuryDesert Fury (1947)
Dir. Lewis Allen
Feat. Lizabeth Scott, John Hodiak, Burt Lancaster
Small town Nevada desert set suspense focusing around a gambling empire obstinately led by a tough woman whose perfect monopoly is interrupted by her…
Golden EarringsGolden Earrings (1947)
Dir. Mitchell Leisen
Feat. Marlene Dietrich, Ray Milland, Murvyn Vye
Romantic spy film set the eve of World War II in which Ray Milland plays an English officer on an espionage mission in Nazi Germany to recover a…
It Always Rains on SundayIt Always Rains on Sunday (1947) Recommended
Dir. Robert Hamer
Feat. Googie Withers, John McCallum, Jack Warner
Overlooked masterpiece of British crime noir which blends kitchen sink realism with the poetic sensibilities of 30's French cinema. An escaped…
Kiss of DeathKiss of Death (1947) Recommended
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray
Fantastic film noir about a career criminal whose attempts to start a new life entangle him with a psychopathic murderer bent on revenge. Richard…
Odd Man OutOdd Man Out (1947) Recommended
Dir. Carol Reed
Feat. James Mason, Robert Newton
James Mason, in one of his best roles, plays a wounded IRA–gunman hunted by police through a nightmare city–scape that clearly…
Quai Des OrfevresQuai Des Orfevres (1947) Recommended
Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Louis Jouvet, Bernard Blier, Suzy Delair
Romantically bleak French noir about an ambitious starlet and her protective husband who find themselves implicated in the murder of a lecherous…
Red House, TheRed House, The (1947)
Dir. Delmer Daves
Feat. Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, Dame Judith Anderson
A man dares to unlock the mystery of the red house in the thick of the woods. Music, photography and Edward G. Robinson in a spooky key role combine…
Song of the Thin ManSong of the Thin Man (1947)
Dir. Edward Buzzell
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn
The Thin Man legacy is stretched out to a sixth film, with Nick and Nora busting one last case involving a dispute over owed money to a two–bit…
Two Mrs Carrolls, TheTwo Mrs Carrolls, The (1947)
Dir. Peter Godfrey
Feat. Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith
Bogie plays the baddie in this tense psychodrama – a mad artist who paints his female models before killing them. Barbara Stanwyk is the latest…
Blue Dahlia, TheBlue Dahlia, The (1946)
Dir. George Marshall
Feat. Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix
Riveting Raymond Chandler noir teams Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in their third on–screen pairing as an ex–bomber pilot accused of…
Dark CornerDark Corner (1946)
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, Mark Stevens
Expert film noir concerns a private detective (Stevens) living under the shadow of a murder frame–up concocted by villain Clifton Webb (LAURA).…
DragonwyckDragonwyck (1946)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Walter Huston
1940s gothic thriller. Gene Tierney gets married to the local lord of the manor, before discovering the skeletons in the closet of his big spooky…
Dressed To KillDressed To Kill (1946)
Dir. Roy Neill
Feat. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison
The final of the 14 Rathbone–Bruce 'Sherlock Holmes' adaptations concerning a criminal gang's pursuit of three music–boxes for mysterious…
Green for DangerGreen for Danger (1946) Recommended
Dir. Sidney Gilliat
Feat. Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Alastair Sim
Sly whodunit finds Trevor Howard and Sally Gray prime suspects in the death of a hospital patient. Cue Scotland Yard’s finest (Alistair Sim), whose…
I See a Dark StrangerI See a Dark Stranger (The Adventuress) (1946)
Dir. Frank Launder
Feat. Deborah Kerr, Trevor Howard, Raymond Huntley
Absorbing thriller with Deborah Kerr outstanding as a young Irish woman who despises England so much she becomes a Nazi spy.
Man I Love, TheMan I Love, The (1946)
Dir. Raoul Walsh
Feat. Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Bruce Bennett
Romantic drama about a New York lounge singer who becomes homesick and decides to visit her siblings on the West Coast, where she unexpectedly falls…
NotoriousNotorious (1946) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant
Sexy, suspenseful romantic thriller with Ingrid Bergman at her most radiant as an American spy who unwittingly falls in love with her contact, Cary…
PaniquePanique (1946) Recommended
Dir. Julien Duvivier
Feat. Michel Simon, Viviane Romance
Exemplary French noir based on the novel Les Fiançailles de M. Hire by Georges Simenon, the source of the Patrice Leconte film, MONSIEUR HIRE…
Pink String And Sealing WaxPink String And Sealing Wax (1946)
Dir. Robert Hamer
Feat. Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Gordon Jackson
Brit film noir set in a dark and dirty Brighton sees a scheming landlady (Withers) befriend a young chemist's assistant in order to obtain poison to…
Somewhere in the NightSomewhere in the Night (1946)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. John Hodiak, Nancy Guild, Lloyd Nolan
Often underrated 'film noir' has an amnesiac soldier (Hodiak) return to Los Angeles from WW2 to rediscover his identity, only he may not want to... A…
Stranger, TheStranger, The (1946)
Dir. Orson Welles
Feat. Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson
Orson Welles plays a Nazi war criminal who marries an unsuspecting American, but Edward G. Robinson is hot on his trail. Welles also directed this…
Terror By NightTerror By Night (1946)
Dir. Roy Neill
Feat. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray
The penultimate Rathbone–Bruce "Sherlock Holmes", with the duo on the trail of a large diamond 'The Star of Rhodesia' which has gone missing…
Woman in Green, TheWoman in Green, The (1946)
Dir. Roy Neill
Feat. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce play the definitive Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, in this updated (to the 40s) version of the original Conan Doyle…
And Then There Were NoneAnd Then There Were None (1945) Recommended
Dir. Rene Clair
Feat. Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward
The best film version of Agatha Christie's novel, that is literally a by–the–numbers whodunnit. A little dated, but you'll have fun…
Blood On the SunBlood On the Sun (1945)
Dir. Frank Lloyd
Feat. James Cagney, Sylvia Sidney, Porter Hall
Minor Cagney suspense vehicle is distinguished by its unusual setup: Cagney plays a newspaper man in 1920s Japan who uncovers a military plot for…
DetourDetour (1945) Aro Favourite
Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Feat. Tom Neal, Ann Savage
Often touted as the best B–movie ever made, this blistering film noir upstaged many of the Hollywood main features it was paired with. Short on…
DillingerDillinger (1945)
Dir. Max Nosseck
Feat. Lawrence Tierney
Lawrence Tierney stars in this robust B–Movie biopic as the notorious gangster who declared war on America's banking system.
Fallen AngelFallen Angel (1945)
Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Dana Andrews, Alice Faye, Linda Darnell
Follow–up to Preminger's film noir LAURA stars Andrews as a penniless drifter who falls in love with beautiful waitress Stella (Darnell) so…
Seventh Veil, TheSeventh Veil, The (1945) Recommended
Dir. Compton Bennett
Feat. James Mason, Ann Todd
Renowned film serves up psychiatry in bite sized chunks as a concert pianist is cured of her complexes by a shrink intent on fixing her up with the…
SpellboundSpellbound (1945)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck
Beguiling Hitchcock, with Ingrid Bergman psychoanalyzing murder suspect Gregory Peck. Famed dream sequence by Salvador Dali.
Thin Man Goes Home, TheThin Man Goes Home, The (1945)
Dir. Richard Thorpe
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Lucile Watson
Nick and Nora's reputation precedes them as they wrap up another murder mystery while visiting Nick's parents. The penultimate film in the popular…
Christmas HolidayChristmas Holiday (1944)
Dir. Robert Siodmak
Feat. Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly
Considered one of the bleakest Film Noirs of the 1940s, casting musical star Deanna Durbin in a rare serious role as a woman who marries an…
GaslightGaslight (1944) Recommended
Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten
Menacing, atmospheric psycho–thriller in which Ingrid Bergman marries suave romantic Charles Boyer, unaware of his murderous obsession to find…
Ministry of FearMinistry of Fear (1944)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond
Fritz Lang's classic film noir focuses on a man who, upon being released from an insane asylum, unwittingly discovers a piece of microfilm intended…
Murder, My SweetMurder, My Sweet (Farewell, My Lovely) (1944) Recommended
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley
An iconic 'noir' whose unsavoury storyline is taken from Raymond Chandler's classic novel. Powell plays a detective dragged into a murky case of…
Phantom LadyPhantom Lady (1944)
Dir. Robert Siodmak
Feat. Alan Curtis, Ella Raines, Virginia Brissac
Dark little treat of a thriller focused on a married man who spends a night with a mysterious lady and subsequently finds his wife murdered. The…
Hangmen Also DieHangmen Also Die (1943)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, Anna Lee
Moody political thriller with Donlevy on the run after assassinating a prominent Nazi and finding shelter with a Czech family as the manhunt consumes…
Le CorbeauLe Corbeau (1943) Recommended
Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Pierre Fresnay
Fascinating as a wartime allegory made under the German Occupation of France, a small town becomes a hot–bed of paranoia following a rash of…
Ox Bow Incident, TheOx Bow Incident, The (Strange Incident) (1943) Recommended
Dir. William A. Wellman
Feat. Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes
Superlative moral drama in a Western setting, where three lynched cattle rustlers are later proven innocent by the upstanding Henry Ford. Although…
Shadow of a DoubtShadow of a Doubt (1943) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten
Teenager Teresa Wright is thrilled when relative Joseph Cotten comes to stay, then less so, gradually realising Uncle Charlie may be a psychopathic…
Day Will Dawn, TheDay Will Dawn, The (1942)
Dir. Harold French
Feat. Hugh Williams, Griffith Jones, Deborah Kerr
Propaganda fuelled WW2 drama about a foreign journalist reporting on German U–Boats attacking Norwegian ships who finds himself up against the…
Glass Key, TheGlass Key, The (1942)
Dir. Stuart Heisler
Feat. Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy
Alan Ladd re–teams with blonde siren Veronica Lake in this almighty film noir of divided loyalties, crooked politicians, and underworld snares.…
Journey into FearJourney into Fear (1942)
Dir. Norman Foster
Feat. Joseph Cotten, Dolores Del Rio, Orson Welles
Hitchcockian suspenser set around an American engineer's adventures in WW2 Turkey. Loaded down with a maze–like plot (written by star Joseph…
Keeper of the FlameKeeper of the Flame (1942)
Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Whorf
Spencer Tracy plays a top–notch reporter who falls in love with the widow of the deceased national hero he's assigned to investigate. A tight…
SaboteurSaboteur (1942) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane
Robert Cummings dodges shady conspirators and skeptical patriots as the wrong man thought to be responsible for some anti–American sabotage.…
Secret Weapon, TheSecret Weapon, The (1942)
Dir. Roy Neill
Feat. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce play the definitive Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, in this updated (to the 40s) version of the original Conan Doyle…
Went the Day Well?Went the Day Well? (1942) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alberto Cavalcanti
Feat. Leslie Banks, Valerie Taylor, Marie Lohr
British pluck and courage is put to the test in this Graham Greene story, where a cosy English village is infiltrated during WWII by a truckload of…
Man HuntMan Hunt (1941)
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George Sanders
A Fritz Lang–directed thriller set in Europe just prior to World War II – the first of the German exile's four anti–Nazi films, and…
Shadow of the Thin ManShadow of the Thin Man (1941)
Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Donna Reed
Yet another relaxing weekend for sweethearts Nick and Nora turns into a head–scratcher, as the crime–stopping couple divert from a day at…
SuspicionSuspicion (1941) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine
One of Hitch's first American films uses the artificial charms of Cary Grant to strangely sinister effect, as a manipulative playboy whom wife Joan…
Swamp WaterSwamp Water (1941)
Dir. Jean Renoir
Feat. Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Anne Baxter
An interesting melodrama, dank with the regional atmosphere of the Florida Everglades, about the problems undergone by a youthful fur trapper…
Foreign CorrespondentForeign Correspondent (1940)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Joel McCrea, Laraine Day
On the eve of WWII, journalist Joel McCrea gets involved in European espionage, some classic Hitchcock set–pieces (esp. the Dutch windmill…
GaslightGaslight (1940) Recommended
Dir. Thorold Dickinson
Feat. Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, Frank Pettingell
This potently atmospheric "Victorian" thriller boasts a suitably wired Anton Walbrook as a repressed patriarch who torments his wife in an effort to…
RebeccaRebecca (1940) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
A masterful gothic romance about a nobleman's second wife who becomes haunted by the image of his beloved first. Hitchcock's first American film was…
Another Thin ManAnother Thin Man (1939)
Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Otto Kruger
Nick and Nora, with newborn baby in tow, spend a weekend on Long Island, sleuthing out a shady character whose death threats lead to murder. Adapted…
Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection, TheComplete Sherlock Holmes Collection, The (1939-1946)
Feat. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Complete collection of all 14 SHERLOCK HOLMES films starring Basil Rathbone as the iconic detective and Nigel Bruce as his loyal sidekick Dr Watson.…
Nancy Drew...ReporterNancy Drew...Reporter (1939)
Dir. William Clemens
Feat. Bonita Granville
One of the very first screen adaptations of Edward Stratemeyer’s series of "Nancy Drew" mystery stories, Bonita Granville stars as the youthful…
Roaring Twenties, TheRoaring Twenties, The (1939)
Dir. Raoul Walsh
Feat. James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Priscilla Lane
Seminal gangster drama, paired screen–tough Cagney with a then lesser–known Bogart. Becoming buddies during WWI, they later enter and…
Algiers Algiers (1938)
Dir. John Cromwell
Feat. Hedy Lamarr, Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie
Remake of a PEPE LE MOKO, in which a dashing jewel thief who has been hiding out for two years in the mysterious, murky Casbah, falls madly in love…
Bete Humaine, LaBete Humaine, La (1938) Recommended
Dir. Jean Renoir
Feat. Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux
Adaptation of Zola's romantic tragedy brims with tension and exults the presense of French icon Jean Gabin as a hot–headed train driver coaxed…
Lady Vanishes, TheLady Vanishes, The (1938) Aro Favourite
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Dame May Whitty
Prime British Hitchcock, tracks a brilliantly–plotted mystery of an old lady's disappearance on a trans–Europe train, with…
Dark JourneyDark Journey (1937)
Dir. Victor Saville
Feat. Conrad Veidt, Vivien Leigh, Ursula Jeans
British spy caper with Leigh as a French spy falling for a German double–agent.
Pepe Le MokoPepe Le Moko (1937) Aro Favourite
Dir. Julien Duvivier
Feat. Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin
Jean Gabin plays a super–cool gangster who finds immunity in the Algierian Casbah. Marvellously romantic, this classic of the French golden age…
You Only Live OnceYou Only Live Once (1937) Recommended
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Henry Fonda, Sylvia Sidney
An awesome early film noir from dir. Lang with Fonda playing a career criminal determined to go straight, but compelled by fate into murdering a…
Young and InnocentYoung and Innocent (1937)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Nova Pilbeam, Derrick de Marney, Percy Marmont
A young girl aids a fugitive on the run, who she believes is innocent. Hitch adds some clever twists to his reworking of THE 39 STEPS.
After the Thin ManAfter the Thin Man (1936)
Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart
That great American screen coupling, William Powell and Myrna Loy, forgo their New Year's celebrations to wittily dissect another murder mystery. A…
SabotageSabotage (1936)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Sylvia Sidney, Oscar Homolka, John Loder
Suspenseful early Hitchcock, with a foreign saboteur terrorising London.
Secret Agent, TheSecret Agent, The (1936)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, John Gielgud
Peter Lorre plays a reluctant officer assigned to kill a WW2 spy. Good Hitchcock fare from his early career.
39 Steps, The39 Steps, The (1935) Recommended
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Madeleine Carroll, Robert Donat, Peggy Ashcroft
A ripping yarn about a innocent man embroiled in a spy conspiracy and is chased across Scotland. Set a sophisticated precedent for the spy/thriller…
Crime and PunishmentCrime and Punishment (1935)
Dir. Josef von Sternberg
Feat. Edward Arnold, Peter Lorre, Marian Marsh
Modest adaptation of Dostoyevsky's novel about a criminology student turned murderer who becomes tortured with remorse.
Petrified Forest, ThePetrified Forest, The (1935)
Dir. Archie Mayo
Feat. Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Genevieve Tobin
Featuring probably Bogart's first classic role, this adaptation of the Robert Sherwood play is set in a remote diner in Arizona where a fugitive…
Man Who Knew Too Much, TheMan Who Knew Too Much, The (1934)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Leslie Banks, Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre stars in this original version as the villain who kidnaps an innocent man's child to ensure his silence. Budget limitations are overcome…
Thin Man, TheThin Man, The (1934) Recommended
Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. William Powell, Myrna Loy
Taken from Dashiell Hammett's novel, this near–perfect comedy–thriller virtually invented the genre, with William Powell and Myrna Loy as…
A Shriek in the NightA Shriek in the Night (1933)
Dir. Albert Ray
Feat. Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Harvey Clark
A murderer terrorises a quiet neighbourhood, with each victim ominously receiving a polite card before being dispatched. This solidly produced…
Kennel Murder Case, TheKennel Murder Case, The (1933)
Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. William Powell, Mary Astor
Stylish murder mystery from the pre code era with William Powell playing detective and Scottish Terrier owner Philo Vance, popularised in the novels…
Testament of Dr. Mabuse, TheTestament of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) Recommended
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Dir. Lang's brilliant sequel to the silent DR. MABUSE – THE GAMBLER, rethinking his vision of the evil controlling mastermind for the nascent…
Most Dangerous Game, TheMost Dangerous Game, The (1932) Recommended
Dir. Ernest B Shoedsack, Irving Pichel
Feat. Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks
This mother of all chase–movies was adapted from Richard Connell's book by the makers of KING KONG. A fresh–faced Joel McCrea is…
M... Worst Crime of AllM... Worst Crime of All (1931) Recommended
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Peter Lorre
A chilling expressionist classic starring Peter Lorre as psychotic child molester. Dir. Lang masterfully fills the screen with understated but…
Bat Whispers, TheBat Whispers, The (1930)
Dir. Roland West
Feat. Chester Morris, Una Merkel, Richard Tucker
An early talkie about a mysterious criminal known as "The Bat", who terrorises a group of people looking for treasure in an old country…
Hitchcock Showcase (1930)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Four films from the early career of suspense's elder statesman, available on twin cassettes – MURDER (1930), SKIN GAME (1931), NUMBER 17…
Murder!Murder! (1930)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Herbert Marshall, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander
Hitchcock's second talkie is a clever whodunnit in which a juror (Marshall) in the murder trial of a young woman decides to open his own…
BlackmailBlackmail (1929)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood
Notable early thriller from Hitch, with Ondra being blackmailed by someone who knows she accidentally killed a rapist. Features good London…
Silent Films Of Alfred Hitchcock, TheSilent Films Of Alfred Hitchcock, The (1927-1929)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Two of Hitchcock's early films showcasing the best from the Master Of Suspense during his silent era. THE RING: A boxer must compete with a rival…
UnderworldUnderworld (1927)
Dir. Josef von Sternberg
Feat. George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent, Clive Brook
Josef von Sternberg’s breakthrough silent film arguably pioneered the American gangster genre, with George Bancroft cast as a criminal kingpin…
Lodger, TheLodger, The (1926)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Malcolm Keen, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney
The first notable Hitchcock, this silent variant of the 'Jack the Ripper' features a memorable turn from Ivor Novello and some spine–tingling…
Dr. Mabuse, The GamblerDr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) Recommended
Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Alfred Abel, Lil Dagover
Lang's first foray into ze evil exploits of Dr. Mabuse is a visually dazzling example of German expressionism, involving the master criminal's plan…
Ace of Hearts, TheAce of Hearts, The (1921)
Dir. Wallace Worsley
Feat. Lon Chaney, Leatrice Joy, John Bowers
A silent–era crime drama with Lon Chaney as a member of a secret vigilante society. The group make a plan to dispatch a wealthy businessman…
FantomasFantomas (1913-1914)
Dir. Louis Feuillade
Feat. Edmund Breon, Rene Navarre, Georges Melchior
Early French film serial adapting the novel of the same name by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre about the criminal genius who is obsessively…

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