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The Frightened City is a 1961 British neo-noir gangster film about extortion rackets and gang warfare in the West End of London.[2] It stars Herbert Lom, John Gregson and a pre-Bond Sean Connery, who plays a burglar called Paddy Damion.[3] He is lured into a protection racket by oily mobster Harry Foulcher (Alfred Marks), in order to support his partner in crime Wally Smith (Kenneth Griffith), who is injured in a robbery.

The Frightened City
Original film poster
Directed by	John Lemont
Written by	Leigh Vance
Produced by	John Lemont Leigh Vance
Starring	Herbert Lom John Gregson Sean Connery Alfred Marks Yvonne Romain
Cinematography	Desmond Dickinson
Music by	Norrie Paramor
Distributed by	Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors
Release date	9 August 1961 (1961-08-09) [1]
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Although Connery's character has a girlfriend, he seduces the beautiful Anya (Yvonne Romain), the mistress of the seedy and sinister crime boss Zhernikov (Herbert Lom). John Gregson plays Detective Inspector Sayers who is dedicated to tackling organised crime.

The Shadows had a hit single, no. 3 on the British charts in May 1961, with the main theme.[4] It was subsequently covered by Peter Frampton in the 1996 collection Twang!: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows.[5]

Cast

Release

The London premiere of “The Frightened City” took place at the Odeon Marble Arch on 9 August 1961.[1]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, Variety described it as "a conventional but brisk gangster yarn," concluding that "Herbert Lom plays the brains of the crooked organization with urbane villainy and equally reliable John Gregson makes a solid, confident job of the dedicated cop. Alfred Marks is cast offbeat as Lom’s gangster lieutenant. Marks gives a rich, oily, sinister and yet often amusing portrayal of an ambitious thug who is prepared to turn killer to get his own way. Comparative newcomer, rugged Sean Connery makes a distinct impression as an Irish crook, with an eye for the ladies. Connery combines toughness, charm and Irish blarney."[6] According to a review on the AllMovie website: "The film itself is only of moderate interest, a gangster thriller that's engaging but not special; but the cast makes it worth watching."[7]

References

External links

• The Frightened City at IMDb
• The Frightened City at Rotten Tomatoes

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