Five Days (1954 film)

1954 British film by Montgomery Tully

25 June 1954 (1954-06-25)

Running time

71 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Five Days (U.S. title: Paid to Kill) is a 1954 British second feature ('B')^[1] film noir directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Dane Clark, Paul Carpenter and Thea Gregory.^[2]^[3] It was written by Paul Tabori and produced by Anthony Hinds for Hammer Film Productions. It was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

Plot

James Nevill, a nearly bankrupt businessman, hires his best friend to kill him within five days so his wife can collect on his life insurance. After his business takes a sudden upswing he changes his mind, but he must get to the killer and tell him so before the killer gets to him first. Nevill suffers several near misses before he learns the truth about who has been trying to kill him.

Cast

Dane Clark as James Nevill
Cecile Chevreau as Joan Peterson
Paul Carpenter as Paul Kirby
Thea Gregory as Andrea Nevill
Anthony Forwood as Glanville
Arthur Young as Hyson
Howard Marion-Crawford as Cyrus McGowan
Arnold Diamond as Perkins
Charles Hawtrey as Bill
Peter Gawthorne as Bowman
Avis Scott as Eileen
Geoffrey Sumner as Chapter
Ross Hutchinson as Ingham
Martin Lawrence as Grover the masseur
Leslie Wright as Hunter
Larry Taylor as tough in bar
Warren Mitchell as laughing man in bar
Hugo Schuster as Professor

Production

The film was shot at Bray Studios with sets designed by the art director J. Elder Wills.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The neat plot is spoilt by a weak script, and not all the forceful intensity of the American star, Dane Clark, can save this pedestrian piece. The British players in support scarcely seem to try. The direction is uneven, scenes are put together with little sense of movement or continuity, and the result is a thriller below the average."^[4]

Kine Weekly wrote: "The central idea is far-fetched, but sound acting and direction enables its 'thick ear' to acquire an intriguing and thrilling facade. Definitely the masses' cup of tea. ...The picture puts a considerable strain upon the credulity of the audience, but the sensational twist ending prevents it from reaching breaking point."^[5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Good plot, assorted acting, poor script."^[6]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Five Days". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
^ Five Days at the BFI Database
^ "Five Days". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 104. 1 January 1954. ProQuest 1305814431 – via ProQuest.
^ "Five Days". Kine Weekly. 446 (2447): 21. 20 May 1954. ProQuest 2732607946 – via ProQuest.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 309. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.