The Criminal

"The toughest picture ever made in Britain!"

1960 1h 37m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 42

Crime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a robbery at a racetrack goes wrong ex-con Johnny Bannion is caught and sent back to prison. He won't tell the rest of the gang where he has stashed the loot leading to violent consequences.

“The toughest picture ever made in Britain!”

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Cast

Stanley Baker
Johnny Bannion
Sam Wanamaker
Mike Carter
Grégoire Aslan
Frank Saffron
Margit Saad
Suzanne
Jill Bennett
Maggie
Rupert Davies
Edwards
Laurence Naismith
Mr. Town
John Van Eyssen
Formby

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph Losey
Writers: Alun Owen
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph Losey, shot by Robert Krasker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Dankworth. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stanley Baker and Sam Wanamaker and Grégoire Aslan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The toughest picture ever made in Britain!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053740 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph Losey directs. Robert Krasker behind the camera. John Dankworth scores. Reginald Mills cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

166 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Joseph Losey, shot by Robert Krasker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by John Dankworth. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Stanley Baker and Sam Wanamaker and Grégoire Aslan carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The toughest picture ever made in Britain!".
7IMDB entry: tt0053740 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Original score: John Dankworth
Editing: Reginald Mills
Production design: Richard Macdonald
Makeup / hair: Helen Penfold
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Criminal (1960)

Also by

Joseph Losey

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-02-27
★ 7/10
Stanley Baker is effective here as the smart-assed hoodlum "Bannion". Recently released from prison he and some associates cleverly devise a plan to relieve a race track of it's £40,000 takings. He hides the loot in a remote field but his cockiness leads the police easily to his door. Re-incarcerated, he soon finds that it's not just the police, but his erstwhile colleagues - led by the no-nonsense "Carter" (Sam Wanamaker) who want the money! Things are distinctly dangerous for the man behind bars and so getting out quickly and retrieving his loot becomes the order of the day. Joseph Losey paces his direction well here and has assembled a strong cast of supporting characters - not least Patrick Magee as the shrewd and ruthless prison warder "Barrows" and Grégoire Aslan as the duplicitous "Saffron", as this story of greed and brutality gradually edges towards a denouement that is exciting and - to a considerable extent - rather fitting. It's maybe a bit wordy at times but Baker manages to exude a sort of nastiness/decency combination that works well for ninety minutes. It is well worth a watch and is better than many in this British noir genre of the late 1950s.

Production companies