The Frightened City

The Frightened City has a quality premise and plot, but contains no memorable dialogue and little entertainment for a crime flick, plus the ending's silly. No standout performance, Herbert Lom and Sean Connery decent. Harry taking advantage of the fact Paddy's mates with Alf in order to get him alone and kill him, ruins it. Paddy's the man running the bloody operation for you, of course he's going to want payback, it's bad business at a minimum.

Sean Connery still showing at times a vulnerable side also naive but all the elements are there. Lots of good performances by others. I watch a lot of old really bad British Movies but this actually a good one.

'The Frightened City' stars both Sean Connery and Herbert Lom just before their iconic appearances in the Bond & Pink Panther series respectively (although Lom already had a substantial film career before The Pink Panther series). But it wasn't the first time they appeared together, having appeared in 1957's 'Hell Drivers'. And it's this comparison that weakens TFC as while both films are similarly hard-nosed, rough-edged action films, HD is superior more interesting characters, compelling drama and more vivid action scenes. That isn't to say TFC is a bad film - it's solidly entertaining with a good atmosphere and Connery displaying the charisma that was about to make him a major star (plus a nicely underplayed turn from Lom as the villain). But it's too conventional in its plotting and lacking great action scenes to be up to HD's level. Still, TFC is a decent film and worth a look

"The Frightened City" paints an interesting picture of the London underworld circa 1960. Sean Connery gives a great performance as Paddy Damian a heavy who does some of the dirty work for a couple of shady crime bosses played by Alfred Marks & Herbert Lom. Lom, in particular, gives a superb performance as Waldo Zhernikov a very intelligent, suave, hard-headed businessman. John Gregson plays Detective Inspector Sayers trying his best to curb their dodgy dealings. For us lads, it has the ravishing-looking Yvonne Romain playing a dancer & singer in a nightclub owned by our crime bosses. I have read that it was his performance in this movie that led directly to Sean Connery being offered the role of James Bond the following year in the first Bond movie Dr No. A very good watch!.

The Frightened City is one of several films where Sean Connery is getting more and more noticed, leading to the stardom he would obtain the following year as James Bond. Though he's third billed in The Frightened City, it's his performance you'll remember. Herbert Lom, a seemingly respectable businessman, is asked to launder some money by Alfred Marks one of London's top crime bosses. It occurs to Lom he's in unique position to make some really good money off all the crime bosses of London if they can be organized. Using Marks as a front, Lom does just that and the two of them hire Connery to be their chief enforcer in their protection racket. It all works out really well when the hoods are muscling small businessmen for protection, but when they start going after bigger targets David Davies becomes squeamish and Lom and Marks decide he's to be eliminated. They use Connery to set him up and when Connery realizes he's unwittingly helped do in a friend he becomes a man with a mission. It's never good to have Sean Connery with a mission after you. I think you can figure out the rest of the film. The Frightened City is a plot done many times over in American noir films which cycle had ended about five years earlier in America. This one gives you a nice glimpse of the seamier side of London. It was interesting by the way to hear the objections to going after big targets who might have influence with members of Parliament and the Home Office. Crooks are the same all over the world, pick on those you think can't fight back. John Gregson is the Scotland Yard inspector who heads what we would call the organized crime unit there. He represents the good guys, but it's the bad ones that make The Frightened City an interesting film.

Just pre-Bondage, I find it beyond incredible that in all the years the IMDb has been around, only ONE person thus far, has commented on this film! True, it was no groundbreaker even in its time - a bit of the old "know wot I mean?" crime drama, but hell it was a solidly made little piece and carries what I believe is an appropriate rating here. One that would probably gain it an inclusion in the top 4000 movies which is better than many can claim! (the greater majority actually) You may note the film score here was in the capable hands of top Brit musical director (at the time) Norrie Paramor. Now Norrie was the musical arranger in 1961 for somewhat popular pop icon Cliff Richard, whose backing group THE SHADOWS (hands up anyone remembers Hank Marvin and Jet Harris!) had a huge hit in 1961 with....you guessed it - THE FRIGHTENED CITY! I even have a copy! A slimmer Connery but he delivers the goods here along with veteran Brit great Herbert Lom, both of whom were previously seen together in 1958's HELL DRIVERS! As withnail-4 (New England) correctly observes...gives nostalgia a boost, if nothing else!

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source: The Frightened City

The Frightened City

John Lemont is unfortunately more know for directing KONGA, a some kind of poor man's KING KONG, very cheap but funny, than for this crime film, with also SHAKEDOWN, and also GREEN BUDDHA, a mystery yarn. Sean Connery is obviously very interesting here, because in a supporting character, very far from his further roles; as he was in TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE. Connery plays a rather ambivalent character, a goon, a mob henchman specialized in racket, but not entirely nasty, that's where the strength is. Herbert Lom is absolutely great in the mob leader role. So to summarize, it is worth watching for Connery's presence and character. Even if he had had not the career he was famous for, even if he had never played 007, his character here would have been very interesting. All the more so with distance and James Bond roles. I always crave for supporting characters. They are often more interesting than the main ones.