Brighton Rock (1947)
Just seen this for the very first time. I know i do love British film but i was surprised at how good this actually was.
Set in the seaside town of Brighton, the film showcases both the tourist charm of the time and the seedy underbelly. Surely it's one of the most sinister and violent (especially for the forties) crime films ever made in this country. Richard Attenborough's Pinkie Brown is the main reason. Thanks to an outstanding performance both from him and from Carol Marsh as the naive waitress who witnesses a murder and falls under Brown's almost hypnotic spell in the hope that he actually really does love her back. The scene as she practically begs Pinkie to make a voice recording for her so she can listen to it when he's away is genuinely shocking.
Even now after just the single viewing i can tell why
Brighton Rock is one of the great crime films.