ANN LYNN, COLIN GORDON & DERREN NESBITT IN 'STRONGROOM'

Poster for STRONGROOM Year: 1962 Rates: ***1/2

STRONGROOM is an important early-1960's British crime films as it underlines what you won't find Stateside: to be extra cautious to not harm anyone during a heist or your jail sentence lengthens, making British bad guys not only more sympathetic but far more cautious, which includes bank robbers Keith Faulkner and Derren Nesbitt who, after locking the first guy's coworkers in the titular bank vault, is talked into by the more empathetic crook to return to the crime scene to provide some oxygen...

A twist ignited by the third robber's death... the older brother to the edgy Keith Faulkner, he held the key to the STRONGROOM that the oblivious cops won't let go of, so, what takes up most of the runtime is the bickering boys seeking a way back while, inside, spectacle-wearing bank manager Colin Gordon and subtle beauty Ann Lynn are running out of air, providing more race-against-time suspense than what should be occurring simultaneously outside, including investigating cops. Making for an anticipated 11th hour that everything deliberately hinges on, and a final twist that makes this one of the most Noirish of the Brit Neo Noirs. It's too bad there couldn't be a stronger man-woman chemistry inside the vault... but first-billed, far too old and completely miscast Colin Gordon seems like pretty Ann Lynn's father's accountant. A strong-silent William Lucas type would have fit better, giving Lynn something to keep breathing for and the audience to root for. 

Keith Faulkner with Ann Lynn in STRONGROOM

Keith Faulkner with Darren Nesbitt in STRONGROOM

Colin Gordon in STRONGROOM

Ann Lynn in STRONGROOM

Keith Faulkner and Darren Nesbitt in STRONGROOM

Colin Gordon with Ann Lynn in STRONGROOM

Darren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner in STRONGROOM

Colin Gordon and Ann Lynn in STRONGROOM

Darren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner in STRONGROOM

Strongroom opening with title