The Vicious Circle (1957)

As a favor to a friend, a posh Harley Street doctor (John Mills) picks up a German actress (Lisa Daniely) at the airport. Things get complicated when she turns up the next day in the doctor's flat ….. murdered! Directed by Gerald Thomas, this overly complicated British thriller has a far fetched plot that has your head spinning in its improbabilities. For a protagonist, John Mills' character is incredibly naïve (some would say dumb) in the way he handles himself. Indeed, one of the most irritating plot points could easily have been dealt with with a simple phone call by Mills to New York! The untidy and baffling plot might have been better served by a more stylish presentation. It's the kind of plot that one might refer to as Hitchcockian and indeed, if directed by Hitchcock and with Cary Grant or James Stewart in Mills' part, the ludicrous plot might have worked (like it did in NORTH BY NORTHWEST). Still, to be honest, as a mystery fan I was still entertained however frustrating the film ultimately proved to be. With Derek Farr, Wilfrid Hyde White, Roland Culver, Mervyn Johns, Lionel Jeffries and Noelle Middleton.