Really strong crime thriller with great performances and wonderful writing.

Attenborough is simultaneously terrifying and pitiful. A manipulative, callous killer and a scared young man in equal measures. The ultimate anti-hero. His performance is only matched by Carol Marsh, who is brilliant as Rose - innocent and naive right until the very end. There's a great cast of supporting characters, too, and the kinetic cinematography is a joy. The religious subtext also added a bit of depth you don't usually find in most gangster films.

Brilliant portrayal of the classic novel. Masterclass in suspense and implied violence from which many modern films could learn a lot. Unexpectedly convincing portrayal of a cold hearted killer by Attenborough with the plot more of a study of evil in us all .. Well worth watching

Magnificent thriller. Attenborough is a delightfully horrible villain.

Richard Attenborough - Vicious killer! I couldn't see it myself until I saw this film in which he plays a heartless bastard. Also impressive is how the film is less about gangsters and more about a duel for the heart and morals of a innocent woman.

Far better than most of the American gangster flicks of that era. Greene and Rattigan's script is consistently good, while Attenborough as Pinkie is a meaner badass than Cagney and Ed G. Robinson put together. Most especially I loved Hermione Baddeley's character Ida, the unlikeliest heroine ever to grace a film noir: A small-time showgirl in her forties, a shrewd dumb blonde, loudmouthed, fearless, relentless in her quest for justice.

Excellent.