Hell is a City

Starring:Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence, Maxine Audley, Billie Whitelaw, Joseph Tomelty, George A. Cooper (II), Geoffrey Frederick, Vanda Godsell, Charles Houston, Joby Blanshard, Charles Morgan (III), Peter Madden, Dickie Owen, Lois Daine, Warren Mitchell, Sarah Branch, Alister Williamson, Russell Napier, John Comer
Director: Val Guest
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

"I know how his mind works."
Hell Is A City, I was there!
LACKLUSTER CRIME DRAMA....
British Cops and Robbbers Noir
Lost gem unearthed

Hell is a City
Starring: Stanley Baker , John Crawford , Donald Pleasence , Maxine Audley , and Billie Whitelaw
Director: Val Guest
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 5 (The Glass Tomb / Paid to Kill)

ASIN: B00005RYL8
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Customer Reviews:

"I know how his mind works.".......2006-06-26

Set in Manchester, England, "Hell is a City" is one of several Hammer film noir titles recently re-released on DVD. The film revolves around the classic plot of the antagonism between two very different men on opposite sides of the law. Violent gangster Don Starling (John Crawford) is in the slammer thanks to the efforts of his old schoolmate Inspector Harry Martineau (Stanley Baker). When Martineau receives the news that Starling broke out of prison--killing a warden in the process--he knows it is just a matter of time before Starling heads back to Manchester and his old stomping grounds. While the other detectives think that Manchester is the last place Starling will run to, Martineau understands Starling and knows the fugitive will need money and a place to hide.

Martineau and his men begin contacting all of Starling's old acquaintances--including Furnisher Steele (Joseph Tomelty) and his attractive deaf-mute granddaughter, Silver (Sarah Branch). But Starling has a number of women in his past too--barmaid Lucky Luske (Vanda Godsell) and Chloe Hawkins (Billie Whitelaw) now married to bookie (turf accountant) Gus Hawkins (Donald Pleasance). In a desperate scheme to get quick cash, Starling commits another murder, and Martineau is hot on his trail--determined to get his man.

The film revolves around the trail Starling leaves behind. Many of Starling's old associates hold clues to his whereabouts, and even though they have their own reasons for disliking Starling, they're loath to rat him out. One great scene involves the police rounding up men holding a "tossing school"--an illegal game of bets on the outcomes of coin tossing. The games take place on a heath with lookouts in key positions leading out of town. Martineau's dour character adds a great deal of interest to the film. Always ready to hand out advice about women to his young policemen, Martineau throws himself into his police work to avoid the horrors of his home life. Martineau's wife, Julia (Maxine Audley) is a lonely woman who sits and waits for her husband to return and then fights with him when he does. In contrast to Julia, divorced barmaid Lucky seeks a 'no-strings-attached' relationship with Martineau, and she propositions him every chance she gets.

For fans of British gangster films, "Hell is a City", directed by Val Guest and based on a novel by Maurice Proctor, is well worth catching. This is a gorgeous, flawless black and white print with a jazz score. DVD extras include: an alternate ending, talent bios, the trailer, and commentary by Val Guest--displacedhuman

Hell Is A City, I was there!.......2004-08-31

I watched a part of this movie being filmed, as a child in Manchester, in 1959. The scene was filmed in a district called Levenshulme, and concerned the Donald Pleasance & Billie Whitelaw characters. Donald Pleasance plays the part of a "bookmaker", who in England is a person who takes bets on horse racing & other sports. At the time of its release I thought it to be a pretty exciting movie. I still think that it is one of the best of its type, and it captures the Manchester of that time very well. Still can't think why they used John Crawford as the villain! There is no explanation as to why he speaks with an " American" accent, if he is supposed to be a childhood aquaintance of the Stanley Baker character. Baker does a passable Northern accent! The film is fairly true to the book from which it was made, although the mute girl "Silver" dies in the book. I have a Levenshulme website, which has a page dedicated to Hell Is A City. It can be found at http://www3.telus.net/public/nixonkg

LACKLUSTER CRIME DRAMA...........2003-01-14

An American thug blows into Manchester, England for a "job" and causes a crisis with the police and his former cronies who thought he was "out of business". Considering this is a Hammer production and directed by Val Guest, this is pretty tepid stuff. The film is so crisp and clean (even in the action sequences) it looks as if Guest was afraid to get his hands dirty. I can't call this "noir" at all. It's too sterile looking and the key noir elements aren't here. No shadowy suspense, no "dames" (as the package contends)--just ordinary looking wives and a middle-aged barmaid who looks like someone's mother, and no psychological conflict for any of the characters. Just hum-drum goings on with the cops-after-a-crook stuff. The acting is capable and the film looks great on DVD. Too bad it isn't better. With all the noir crime dramas that need to be on DVD and all the other Hammer films that SHOULD be on DVD by now---I found myself watching this and wondering "Why?" And by the way, despite the misleading title and the moody jazz score, there is no implication in this film that "hell is a city". It looks like quaint merry old Manchester, England having a busy day.

British Cops and Robbbers Noir.......2002-12-17

Hell is a City is a pretty good crime flick. Even though it is formulaic (cop vs. robber, heist, manhunt) the performances, setting and direction make it an interesting film for folks who like this kind of stuff.

Lost gem unearthed.......2002-12-07

"Hell Is A City" is a little-known Hammer film that garnered some of the company's best reviews at the time of its release in 1960. It was nominated for two British Academy Awards, for Best Screenplay (Val Guest) and Best Actor (Stanley Baker). The DVD from Anchor Bay is a beautiful black-and-white transfer, with crisp, sharp images. The cast is superb, and the pacing is excellent. Donald Pleasance (Halloween, Escape from New York) has a small role as a bank president who finds a little surprise in his attic.
The film comes with an alternate, "happier" ending that didn't sit well with writer/director Guest. However, I believe it's the first Hammer film released on VHS or DVD that comes with a second ending. If you're a Hammer fan, or a fan of film noir, you'll want "Hell Is A City" in your library...

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