Crime drama starring Laurence Harvey, Lee Remick and Alan Bates. When pilot Rex Black fails to qualify for an insurance payout after an accident, he stages his own death so that his wife can make a false claim. Rex flees to Spain and assumes a new identity, but when his wife joins him with the money, both are alarmed to meet Stephen Maddox, the insurance man who dealt with the case.
This is one of those cinematic sleights of hand that only exceptional film-makers could hope to pull off. Armed with a clever script by John Mortimer (of Rumpole fame), director Carol Reed has managed to turn a thoroughly run-of-the-mill potboiler into a hugely entertaining three-handed thriller thanks to his unerring ability to conjure up atmosphere, the striking photography of Robert Krasker and the canny performances of his splendid cast. Laurence Harvey is gleefully extravagant as a cocky conman, Alan Bates doggedly decent as the insurance assessor on his trail and Lee Remick beguiling as the "widow" caught between them.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Rex Black | Laurence Harvey |
| Stella Black | Lee Remick |
| Stephen Maddox | Alan Bates |
| Parson | Felix Aylmer |
| Hilda Tanner | Eleanor Summerfield |
| Jenkins | Allan Cuthbertson |
| Tom Webster | Harold Goldblatt |
| Miles Bleeker | Noel Purcell |
| Madge Penderby | Ramsay Ames |
| Police official | Fernando Rey |
| Roberto | Juan Jose Menendez |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Carol Reed |
