Vernon Sewell’s classic British B-movie, Strongroom, has recently been released on Blu-ray by The BFI (my review is a little late), and I’d heard good things about it, so I wanted to cover the film for the site. However, the disc also includes Sewell’s similarly themed The Man in the Back Seat, which features two of the same leads, as a bonus feature. So, I wanted to review both films, rather than just the ‘main feature’. Here are my thoughts.
Strongroom
Director: Vernon Sewell
Screenplay: Max Marquis, Richard Harris
Starring: Derren Nesbitt, Keith Faulkner, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Morgan Sheppard, Hilda Fenemore, Diana Chesney, Jack Stewart
Country: UK
Running Time: 79 min
Year: 1962
BBFC Certificate: PG
Vernon Sewell was a B-movie veteran by the time he made Strongroom, having worked on them for almost 20 years. He was an efficient director who probably could have worked on bigger pictures (and did earlier in his career) but was happy to stick with second features. In his words, ‘I was making enough money to live on and I didn’t have to worry
about anything. I liked the stories, and I thought I could make entertainment.
I always thought, “I must be a cleverer guy if I keep people in their seats for fifty
thousand quid.”’
Strongroom, however, was made at a time when the British B-movie industry was fading away, due to the rise of television and bigger, bolder A-pictures. It seems like something of a last hurrah, in that sense. Though, you could argue that Strongroom is not actually a ‘B picture’. The film was originally released as a second feature, but it went down so well that the distributor agreed to give it joint top billing. It still has the feel of a B-movie though, and I don’t mean that in a negative sense.
To tell you a little more about Strongroom’s plot, allow me to quote the BFI’s press blurb, ‘A carefully planned heist on a suburban bank goes awry when the gang of three small-time criminals (Derren Nesbitt, Keith Faulkner and Morgan Sheppard) are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of two nattering cleaners (Hilda Fenemore and Diana Chesney).
The gang lock the bank manager (Colin Gordon) and his secretary (Ann Lynn) in the airtight vault and make off with the cash. However, they soon realise that the pair will suffocate, and the gang will face a murder rap if they can’t free them. With only 12 hours’ worth of air in the vault, the clock is ticking.’
Like all the best B-movies, what impresses most about Strongroom is its economy. A lot of modern films could learn a lot from the crisp, no nonsense storytelling of films like this. Sewell jumps straight into the action, opening with the bank staff locking up whilst the thieves wait outside for the right moment to break in. The tension is established immediately and it never lets up.
There are also some interesting moral and psychological aspects to the film too. You’ve got the question of whether or not the criminals should go back to the scene of the crime to help, risking capture by the police, and you’ve also got the fear and panic faced by the pair in the titular vault.
Another interesting aspect of the film proved to be a bit of a double-edged sword, though. The script and performances go some way to make the central criminals likeable and sympathetic, even vaguely innocent. This is their first job and was hoped to be their last. They never intended to harm anyone, just to go in take the money and use it to improve their lives.
This makes for a curious take on the crime thriller and one that makes you wonder whether they might get away with their crimes (you know that ‘real’ villains would never get away scot-free in a film from that era). However, I felt it dampened the hard edge I enjoy in films of this ilk.
In general, there is a touch of that dated, stiff British attitude on display too, though less than in many films of the time. The film examines this, in fact, in the scenes where the usually tightly-wound bank manager, Mr. Spencer, gradually opens and loosens up towards his secretary Rose, as the situation in the strongroom becomes more grim.
There are some fun side characters in the film too, such as the ‘charladies’ (cleaning ladies), whose incessant gossiping and bickering drowns out the calls for help inside the strongroom.
Overall, whilst not blowing me away as much as I’d hoped, Strongroom is, nevertheless, a taut, effective thriller with no fluff, just a neat little story that’s well told.
Film: 
The Man in the Back Seat
Director: Vernon Sewell
Screenplay: Malcolm Hulke, Eric Paice
Starring: Derren Nesbitt, Keith Faulkner, Carol White, Harry Locke
Country: UK
Running Time: 57 min
Year: 1961
BBFC Certificate: PG
The Man in the Back Seat sees Derren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner once again playing a pair of thieves, Tony and Frank, respectively. This time, they rob bookie Joe Carter (Harry Locke) as he leaves a greyhound track. However, when they attempt to make off with his case full of money, they find it has been handcuffed to the bookie.
Tony and Frank shove the unconscious man into their car and they drive around the city, trying to figure out what to do. As Tony continues to hit Joe to keep him quiet, Frank worries about whether their victim will make it through the night, potentially adding murder to their rap sheet.
Running at a brief 57 minutes, The Man in the Back Seat is perhaps even more efficient than the film that followed it. Once again, we’re straight into the action and there’s little time wasted as it moves on. Saying that, I did feel like there was more bickering between Nesbitt and Faulkner, this time around. Their debates are often justified, but it gets a little annoying at times.
In following a pair of thieves who are trying not to get done for murder too, the short feature feels like a bit of a trial run for Strongroom. This earlier effort is, in a number of ways, even more effective. I found it more tense and exciting. Being set at night gives it a literally darker edge, that I appreciated, and the end is particularly powerful.
The characterisations are a little more simplistic here, though. Faulkner’s Frank character is not comfortable with the whole situation, so is well-rounded, but Nesbitt’s Tony is a little more one-sided, being pretty evil this time around.
Overall, however, The Man in the Back Seat is a highly effective, tightly-wound thriller that might be a tad more straightforward than the film that followed it, but remains equally as exciting to watch.
Film:
Strongroom is out now on Blu-ray, released by the BFI. The picture quality on both films is strong, with well-balanced tones. Strongroom shows a little more wear and tear than The Man in the Back Seat, but it looks sharper than the older film and has a more natural grain structure. The Man in the Back Seat looks more compressed and has very slight jaggies on some edges, though it still looks pretty good, in motion. I’ve used screengrabs throughout my review to give you an idea of how the films look, though these have been further compressed. Audio is robust, too.
Extras
– Newly remastered in 2K and presented in High Definition
– Newly recorded audio commentaries on Strongroom and The Man in the Back Seat by film historians Dr Josephine Botting and Vic Pratt
– The Man in the Back Seat (Vernon Sewell, 1961, 55 mins): made the year before, this taut thriller includes many of the same cast and crew
– John Trumper BEHP interview (1992, 160 mins, audio): the Strongroom editor discusses his career
– Footpads (1896, 1 min): one of the earliest British crime films
– A Test For Love (Vernon Sewell, 1927, 25mins): a public information film on the perils of STDs
– Awakening Hour (Donovan Winter, 1957, 10 mins): a robbery goes wrong as morning breaks in London
– After Dark (Mike Dodds, 1979, 14 mins): a road safety film edited by John Trumper
– **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new essays by James Bell, Barry Forshaw and Tony Dykes
The Man in the Back Seat is classed as a special feature, which immediately adds terrific value to the release. It’s not the only extra in this stacked set though.
Jo Botting and Vic Pratt provide commentaries over both titles. They know a great deal about British films of the period, so they have plenty of interesting tidbits to share about the productions and their makers.
There’s also an epic interview with editor John Trumper, conducted by fellow editors John Legard and Dave Robson. Trumper goes through his entire career, reaching Strongroom about halfway through. He doesn’t spend a great deal of time on it, but the piece is valuable, nevertheless. He’s worked with a number of notable figures on some interesting films, so it makes for good listening.
‘A Test For Love’ is a public information film by Sewell about the danger of STDs. It’s a little dated and stilted in places, but it occasionally has some interesting camerawork, and it’s a curious piece of history.
‘Footpads’ is one of the earliest British crime films, made in 1896. Running at only 35 seconds, there’s not much to it, but it’s a fascinating inclusion, nonetheless.
I must admit, I haven’t got around to watching the other two shorts in the collection, but they sound like another pair of intriguing curiosities.
In the booklet, James Bell writes about Sewell and British B-movies. Barry Forshaw writes about British crime movies of the sixties, providing a bit of a shopping list for fans of the genre through his guided tour. Forshaw also writes eloquently about The Man in the Back Seat, and there are descriptions of the other extras included, too.
So, the BFI have put together a fantastic disc, with the inclusion of Man in the Back Seat being the biggest selling point. Sewell would never have imagined his B-movies could have received such treatment when he made them way back when. Highly recommended.
Disc/package: