American star Dan Duryea ("Scarlet Street"), no stranger to villainous roles, here plays the protagonist, Bill Rogers. Bill is an Air Force pilot who returns to England to be with his wife Katie (Swedish beauty Elsie Albiin, "Hidden Fear"). Unfortunately, while he's been away, she's gotten mixed up with bad people, and one of them murders her and frames Bill for the crime. He then has 36 hours in which to prove himself innocent (after that, he'll be declared A. W. O. L. and be in even *worse* trouble).
Written by Steve Fisher ("Destination Tokyo"), this tells a decent, straightforward story, although director Montgomery Tully ("No Road Back") relates it without giving it a real sense of *urgency*. It's deliberately paced, with a fair amount of time devoted to flashbacks. It also doesn't have the thick atmosphere common to the noir genre. At least the climax is reasonably amusing, with control of the situation continuously switching between the villain (John Chandos, "The Crimson Pirate") and a secondary antagonist (Eric Pohlmann, "The Return of the Pink Panther"). The fight choreography is not great, but it does elicit some chuckles.
Duryea was often at his best in his bad guy roles, but here he's fun to watch as a tough-talking, forceful man of action who's determined to avenge his wife. Chandos & Pohlmann are equally good, with additional sterling support given by Harold Lang ("Paranoiac") as an antsy desk clerk, Marianne Stone ("Berserk") as Bills' friend Pam, and a young Kenneth Griffith ("A Night to Remember") as the lovelorn, lowly would-be killer Henry Slauson. Gudrun Ure ("The Million Pound Note") is an appealing if not especially memorable leading lady.
"36 Hours" a.k.a. "Terror Street" is no great shakes, but it rates as an acceptable example of the film noir genre, made by those fine folks at Hammer (back when they were known as Exclusive).
Six out of 10.
Written by Steve Fisher ("Destination Tokyo"), this tells a decent, straightforward story, although director Montgomery Tully ("No Road Back") relates it without giving it a real sense of *urgency*. It's deliberately paced, with a fair amount of time devoted to flashbacks. It also doesn't have the thick atmosphere common to the noir genre. At least the climax is reasonably amusing, with control of the situation continuously switching between the villain (John Chandos, "The Crimson Pirate") and a secondary antagonist (Eric Pohlmann, "The Return of the Pink Panther"). The fight choreography is not great, but it does elicit some chuckles.
Duryea was often at his best in his bad guy roles, but here he's fun to watch as a tough-talking, forceful man of action who's determined to avenge his wife. Chandos & Pohlmann are equally good, with additional sterling support given by Harold Lang ("Paranoiac") as an antsy desk clerk, Marianne Stone ("Berserk") as Bills' friend Pam, and a young Kenneth Griffith ("A Night to Remember") as the lovelorn, lowly would-be killer Henry Slauson. Gudrun Ure ("The Million Pound Note") is an appealing if not especially memorable leading lady.
"36 Hours" a.k.a. "Terror Street" is no great shakes, but it rates as an acceptable example of the film noir genre, made by those fine folks at Hammer (back when they were known as Exclusive).
Six out of 10.