Nowhere To Go (1958)

Set in Great Britain, a Canadian expatriate (George Nader) escapes from prison with the intention of recovering the 50,000 pounds (or it might be dollars) he stashed away after defrauding a wealthy woman (Bessie Love). But things don't go as smoothly as he planned. In fact, everything starts falling apart. Based on a novel by Donald MacKenzie and co-written (along with Kenneth Tynan) and directed by Seth Holt. This little seen noir flavored crime thriller is a real find. Cut by 20 minutes (which has since been restored) and placed on the lower half of a double bill on its original release, this movie is reminiscent of ODD MAN OUT and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE as it traces its man on the run racing against the clock as time runs out. Its bleak, downbeat but inevitable ending perfectly in tune with everything that precedes. George Nader is surprisingly good in a part better than anything Universal (where he was a poor man's Rock Hudson) ever gave him and indicates they misused him. In her film debut, a young Maggie Smith as a forlorn ex-debutante turned party girl already comes across as an assured actress. There's an improvisational jazz score by Dizzy Reece. With Bernard Lee, Georffrey Keen, Lionel Jeffries and Harry H. Corbett.