Brighton Rock

Having Graham Greene's riveting and authentic novel about the leader of a Brighton based gang of hoods and ne'er do wells as source material was an obvious advantage, but the Boulting Brothers (John directed, brother Roy produced) still managed to conjure arguably the finest British thriller ever in what is a genuine and evocative film noir.
Expressively shot by veteran cinematographer Harry Waxman (The Wicker Man), for many the film's most abiding quality is the outstanding, intense performance of a young Richard Attenborough as the emotionally and physically scarred gang leader Pinky Brown, who courts and marries a local waitress (Carol Marsh) he detests in order to stop her testifying against him. Beautifully scripted by Greene and Terence Rattigan (The Browning Version), whose eye for detail and atmosphere is astounding, Brighton Rock is utterly hard bitten in tone and abundant in cruel ironies, right up to its well-judged, refreshingly cynical ending.