No Road Back
| No Road Back | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg?lang=en) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Montgomery Tully |
| Screenplay by | Charles Leeds Montgomery Tully Falkland Cary Philip Weathers |
| Produced by | Steven Pallos |
| Starring | Skip Homeier Paul Carpenter Patricia Dainton Norman Wooland Margaret Rawlings Eleanor Summerfield Alfie Bass |
| Cinematography | Lionel Banes |
| Edited by | Jim Connock |
| Music by | John Veale |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
No Road Back is a 1957 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Skip Homeier, Paul Carpenter and Patricia Dainton.[2][3] It was written by Charles Leeds and Tully from a play by Falkland Cary and Philip Weathers, who contributed additional dialogue.
The film is notable for being the first major film role for future filmstar Sean Connery, as a minor gangster with a speech impediment.
Plot
[edit]Mrs. Railton is blind and deaf from a wartime injury. She allows a criminal gang to use her London club as a hideout, and acts as a fence for their stolen goods. Her son John is unhappy with the gang's criminal activities and tries, but fails, to sabotage a diamond robbery. When gangleader Clem Hayes murders driver Rudge Harvey, Mrs. Railton forces John to sign a confession and take the rap.
Cast
[edit]- Skip Homeier as John Railton
- Paul Carpenter as Clem Hayes
- Patricia Dainton as Beth
- Norman Wooland as Inspector Harris
- Margaret Rawlings as Mrs. Railton
- Eleanor Summerfield as Marguerite
- Alfie Bass as Rudge Harvey
- Sean Connery as "Spike"
Reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This taut crime thriller, though efficiently handled, is marred by several outbursts of vicious brutality. Competent playing by Margaret Rawlings as the afflicted but razor-witted fence and Paul Carpenter (who is especially convincing in the safe-breaking scenes) lend credibility to an otherwise improbable plot line."[4]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Margaret Rawlings, clever in the leading part, a resourceful supporting cast and an astute director handle the extravagant plot skilfully and the outcome is colourful and exciting crime-does-not-pay. ... The picture's tale is, to put it mildly, theatrical, but slick presentation gives it poignancy and punch."[5]
Variety wrote: "Script develops a consistent degree of suspense, but the frequent use of sign language, though intriguing at times, has a delaying effect. Actual holdup achieves a note of realism. ... Carpenter is a typical heavy, while Miss Dalnton is given little opportunity as the blind woman's eyes and ears. Eleanor Summerfield, as a girl employed in the club, has a completely negative part, Norman Wooland, although given star billing, has only a minor role as a detective. Alfie Bass gives one of the best performances in the film as a driver who's ready to squeal when he discovers he's involved in a murder rap."[6]
In The Radio Times Guide to Films David Parkinson gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Sean Connery had been a lifeguard and a coffin polisher before he began acting. He must have doubted the wisdom of giving up the day job after his first experience of film-making, as this is almost an Identikit 'quota quickie'. The lead is a skid-row American star (Skip Homeier), the plot is a threadbare crime caper, the sets are cheap and much of the action takes place in dank inner-city backstreets. Crooks Connery and Alfie Bass are convincing enough, with their botched robbery causing Homeier to question the honesty of his blind and deaf, club-owning ma."[7]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Gloomy, dull drama, uneventful apart from a good safecracking sequence."[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "No Road Back". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ No Road Back at the BFI Database
- ^ "No Road Back". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 24 (276): 34. 1 January 1957. ProQuest 1305823623.
- ^ "No Road Back". Kine Weekly. 478 (2582): 16. 7 February 1957. ProQuest 2826275730.
- ^ "No Road Back". Variety. 205 (11): 6. 13 February 1957. ProQuest 1014795898.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 667. ISBN 9780992936440.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 354. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.