Suspect [The Risk] ** (1960, Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen) – Classic Movie Review 12,764

Roy Boulting and John Boulting’s quickly made, low-budget 1960 British black and white thriller film Suspect [The Risk] is based on a novel by Nigel Balchin, and stars Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing and Ian Bannen. 

Roy Boulting and John Boulting’s 1960 British thriller film Suspect [The Risk] is based on a novel by Nigel Balchin, and stars Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing and Ian Bannen.

A top-secret laboratory is infiltrated by an enemy agent trying to expose research into chemical warfare in this okay film of the 1949 novel A Sort of Traitors by Nigel Balchin, who also writes the screenplay.

Top British producer-director team Roy and John Boulting try to create a typical story of science and espionage, but the action is limited by the obvious low budget and cheap production values.

The intriguing cast covers all bases by casting reined-in serious leads Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing and Ian Bannen opposite exuberant performers Donald Pleasence, Kenneth Griffith and lauded comedian Spike Milligan. It co-stars Thorley Walters, and the Boulting Brothers cast their favourite Raymond Huntley once again.

Suspect [The Risk] is interesting as a thriller that is more psychological and intelligent than most, but the narrow scope of the film does start to grate after a while.

Also in the cast are Sam Kydd, Murray Melvin, Anthony Booth, Basil Dignam, Brian Oulton, Robert Bruce, John Payne, Bruce Wightman, Geoffrey Bayldon, André Charisse, Margaret Lacey and Ian Wilson.

It was shot at Shepperton Studios in 17 days on a limited budget.

Release date: 15 November 1960 (London). Its belated UK general release was in September 1962 when it went out on the ABC circuit as supporting to Val Guest’s Jigsaw (1962).

Suspect [The Risk] is directed by Roy Boulting and John Boulting, runs 81 minutes, is made by Charter Film Productions, is released by British Lion Film Corporation (UK) and Kingsley International (US), is written by Nigel Balchin, Jeffrey Bell (additional scenes) and Roy Boulting (additional scenes), is shot in black and white by Max Greene, is produced by Roy Boulting and John Boulting, is scored by John Wilkes, and designed by Albert Witherick.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,764

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