Hangman's Wharf

John Witty is a doctor without much of a practice in the Scilly Islands. And someone is trying to kill him. So he and Genine Graham try to figure out who, even as local policeman Campbell Singer tries to put him in jail for some other murders.

It's co-written, directed, photographed and edited by Cecil H. Williamson. I had never noticed his name before and judging by this movie, he was a good editor. Although the dialogue and plot are poor, the performers can't be expected to remember their lines, and the camerawork is dull, despite potentially interesting settings, this moves along at a good clip, from one poorly motivated shot to the next. Both leads are supposed to be from Scotland, but can't be bothered to maintain consistent accents..... no, that's not true, Miss Graham, who's supposed to be from Inverness, sound like she's just come from a posh finishing school.

If you enjoy British "b" movies from the 50s, try and catch this little effort. It's quite laughably bad, which makes it all the more entertaining. The basic plot, and the way it all pans out, is bargain basement stuff, and some of the acting is quite hilarious. The main character, Dr Galloway, played by John Witty sports the worst, and most inconsistent, scots accent you are ever likely to hear. Similarly, his co-star, Genine Graham's character is supposed to hail from Inverness, but sounds as though she's just left an English boarding school. The main baddie's henchmen are a real hoot - one is full of forced menace, and the other would have trouble scaring a three year old! The movie does move along briskly, and doesn't give the viewer time to become bored. In it's own amateurish, unsophisticated way it's got a certain charm and is harmless stuff. Just the thing to while away a quick hour for fans of such films.

If you're not too fussed, the movie looks dated, the acting is terrible & the love story incredulous, but it does have the entertainment value of a GP with a '0 patients' practice, who becomes the main suspect in a murder case.

This has the typical British b movie feel about it, I can imagine it being shown secondary to some marvellous thriller.

The story starts off with a lot of intrigue, but sadly as it starts to build, it does genuinely lose all focus, leaving you as a viewer wondering how on Earth that boat vanished, and just how on Earth those gunmen managed not to spot the ingenious hiding place of their intended victims, neither was none too bright.

It's very short, short enough for you not to get bored and wander off to do the dishes, I did like the chemistry between Galloway and Alison, she pulls some amusing faces, sadly not as funny as her Patrician interpretation of an Inverness accent.

Despite my few criticisms I did rather enjoy it, it filled a wet February afternoon. 6/10

Please read other reviews for plot etc. In short, it's a Hitchcockian type thriller.

I did enjoy this, and here are my reasons. The shooting is all done outside (to save studio costs), it is a grainy film with shadows doing the best acting and there is a scratchy sound track. The dialogue probably took less time then I did to write this review, and it has a plot that became lost halfway through the film, and has to be explained in the wrap up. The plot still has more holes than Swiss cheese, and the film must have been knocked out by the studio in "no time" at all. What's not to like here? My type of "bad" movie.

It's a slow burner thriller that fortunately takes off and doesn't hang about. A good job really as 90 minutes of this would be too much to bear.

If you want nostalgia, then this is for you, although there is nothing cool here. If there is any chance a sub standard B movie is your worst nightmare, then stay away.

I did find it entertaining myself, but couldn't watch these type of movies more than a few times a year. I gave a 7 score, but wouldn't argue if others gave it a 5 or less.