Made at Shepperton Studios in England, this is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' set in the world of American gangsters and I thought it came across very well. Part of the interest is to see how the Scottish play is echoed in the film and where it diverts but on its own terms it is a rattling good yarn with atmospheric noir cinematography by Basil Emmott and confident direction by Ken Hughes who often made a low budget stretch effectively. The banquet scene is particularly well done.
It is helped by a near perfect cast. Standing out for me were Ruth Roman as the ambitious Lily MacBeth, Sidney James as the seasoned Banky and Grégoire Aslan as the outgoing kingpin Duncan, not forgetting Walter Crisham as the dry butler Angus who has seen mobsters come and go. Continuity for the film was done by the splendidly named Splinters Deason.
This was much better than expected and gripped from beginning to end.
It is helped by a near perfect cast. Standing out for me were Ruth Roman as the ambitious Lily MacBeth, Sidney James as the seasoned Banky and Grégoire Aslan as the outgoing kingpin Duncan, not forgetting Walter Crisham as the dry butler Angus who has seen mobsters come and go. Continuity for the film was done by the splendidly named Splinters Deason.
This was much better than expected and gripped from beginning to end.