The Verdict (1964)

The Verdict, released in 1964, is a fairy late entry in the Merton Park cycle of Edgar Wallace crime thrillers. Most of these are very entertaining B-movies. This one is particularly good.

This is a gangster movie, but an unusual one.

Joe Armstrong (Cec Linder) has just arrived in London by air. He is an American gangster who has just been deported from the United States. The Americans were able to do this because although Joe has been active in the rackets in America for a quarter of a century he is actually a British subject.

Scotland Yard is not happy that such a notorious gangster is now going to be calling Britain home. They decide to do some digging into Joe’s past and they discover something extremely interesting.

It’s a very minor point about the visa that Joe used when he entered the US in 1939, but that visa is the clue to an old murder case. And Superintendent Brett (Derek Francis) thinks he can nail Joe for that murder.

Joe is understandably upset. He was hoping to enjoy a pleasant retirement in England, living on the ill-gotten gains he has accumulated over the years. That retirement will be even more pleasant since he will be sharing it with Carola (Zena Marshall). Carola is the kind of girl with whom any man would be happy to spend the ret of his life.

So Joe has to beat that murder rap. With the help of his right-hand man Larry Mason (Nigel Davenport) and not-too-honest lawyer Prendergast he thinks he can do it.

Back in the States it would be easy. You just bribe the judge, or the jury. Of course you can’t do that in Britain. Or at least that’s what everyone assumes. But maybe there is a way. So a very clever scheme is hatched.

There’s another problem for Joe to worry about. London gangster Danny Thorne (Paul Stassino) assumes Joe is going to move in on his territory. Danny has a better idea - a partnership. Much safer and more profitable than a gang war. Joe isn’t interested, but Danny thinks he can find a way to persuade him. Danny has a clever scheme of his own.

Joe’s plan is progressing smoothly. And now the plot twists start to kick in.

Arthur La Bern’s screenplay provides plenty of very devious plot twists. The high quality of the script should be no real surprise. La Bern also wrote another of the truly excellent Merton Park Wallace thrillers, Time to Remember (1962), and later went on to write Frenzy for Alfred Hitchcock. Time to Remember and The Verdict have very different plots but a slightly similar feel.

This seems to be the only movie in the cycle directed by David Eady. It’s hard to fault the job he does here.

The acting is top-notch. Cec Linder and Paul Stassino make fine rival gangsters. Nigel Davenport is terrific.

It is however Zena Marshall who steals the picture as Carola. She plays her as a very likeable girl with no morals whatever, a girl who comes across as a bit of an airhead but is really a smart cookie.

Network have as is customary given this movie an extremely good anamorphic transfer.

The Verdict is fast-moving, witty and clever and the intricate plot holds together without any problems.

The Verdict is wonderful entertainment. It belongs in the front rank of the movies in this consistently enjoyable cycle. Very highly recommended.