Un crimen para una sentencia

Murder in Reverse for some unknown reason sticks in my mind from my childhood more than any other film, and is one I would dearly love to see again. I always recall Hartnell passing by the berthed ship and seeing the man he 'killed' on board, but by MIA-reading the name of the ship it was never traced... I have scoured the TV listing to see it broadcast but gave up some years ago. The twist at the end is delicious. I have always been a fan of William Hartnell from the original 1950's Army Game through Carry On Sergeant to Dr Who. It had an impressive cast for the time of Hanley, Slater and Hartnell and you really felt sympathy for the man as he was led away to prison for a crime we all know he did not commit. Does anyone have a copy of this film or know if it has ever been released on video either in UK or overseas. Thanks, Trevor

"Murder in Reverse" has the most fiendishly clever premise I've encountered in all my years of movie-watching. The plot outline listed for "Murder in Reverse" on this IMDb site is inaccurate, so I'll give you the set-up:

The crimelord of a London gang is murdered, his corpse is defaced, and the evidence points to dock labourer Tom Masterick. Unable to prove his innocence, Masterick is sentenced to a long prison term. Then, through the prison grapevine, Masterick learns the truth: the crimelord wanted to disappear and start over, so he staged his own murder and is living under a new identity, after framing Masterick for a crime that never took place. But now that he knows the truth, Masterick can't convince the authorities that the "murder" victim is still alive. Unable to get justice, Masterick plans revenge.

After a long sentence, Masterick is released from prison, aged and embittered. Now Masterick intends to do precisely what the Home Office insists he has already done: HE WILL MURDER THE MAN HE HAS ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED OF MURDERING. He will commit a "Murder in Reverse".

Think about it: what can they possibly do to this poor bloke? If Masterick gets caught, he can't be convicted twice for the same murder ... or CAN he?

Unfortunately, after setting up this brilliant premise, "Murder in Reverse" loses steam. The ultimate payoff is unsatisfying, with a too-obvious twist. The old- age make-up on William Hartnell is crude and obvious. Petula Clark and Dinah Sheridan (sharing the role of Masterick's daughter, before and after his long bowl of porridge) give excellent performances: Petula Clark's success as a singer has always obscured her very real talents as a dramatic actress.

"Murder in Reverse" has much to recommend it, but not quite enough to make this movie the first-rate suspense yarn it very nearly could have been.

Yeah!..okay, I get it. It's all about entertainment, building tension, suspense and excitement, but should I ever be running for my life, with an insanely jealous, sword wielding husband in hot pursuit, it's unlikely that I would seek refuge on the jib of a large industrial crane. At the end of his rope....literally, John Slater takes a long plunge into the murky depths of the harbour. The evidence of a corpse, washed up near Southend, is sufficient to convict William Hartnell of murder. A charge he vehemently denies, claiming that Slater is alive and working on a freighter.

Fifteen years of hard labour transforms Hartnell from an energetic forty something into a white haired, pork pie hatted, aged man. Older, sadder, but much wiser and entirely consumed by the singular purpose of locating Slater to prove his innocence. In a world largely sold on the belief that his quarry is long dead, it's the ultimate needle in a haystack scenario.

Garnering support from enthusiastic, but chaotic reporter, Jimmy Hanley and his love interest Dinah Sheridan, he seeks clues which may smoke out the elusive Slater. It culminates in a final scene, involving a bunch of puffed-up, pompous, plum in the mouth barristers, all deeply in love....with the sound of their own voices, who pontificate, deliberate and generally waffle over cases from the past and each other's shortcomings. Their abject failure to confront and resolve the salient issue before them produces jaw-dropping results.

With its meager sets and sporadically starchy performances, 'Murder in Reverse' not only looks, but sounds dated. Nonetheless, it exudes an unquestionable period charm, an almost tangibly quaint allure. The tricky plot, the dramatic finish and its inscrutable aftermath leave a lingering resonance which remains long after the closing credits have disappeared over the horizon.

I caught this one on Talking Pictures after it was previously unavailable for viewing for many years. It's a fun little 'wronged man' thriller which stars William Hartnell in a rare leading man performance, playing a guy suspected of murdering a love rival after being cuckolded by his wife. He goes to prison for 15 years but comes out convinced his 'victim' is still alive. Real-life husband and wife Jimmy Hanley and Dinah Sheridan help him out, and there's a bit of courtroom stuff too. Hartnell is unrecognisable in his old man makeup and very good in the part too, aided by a seedy John Slater and Montgomery Tully's brisk, workmanlike direction.

Yet another enterprising production from Louis H. Jackson's ill-fated British National Pictures is this extraordinary drama from the brief period when William Hartnell was commanding film leads.

During the course of the film Hartnell ages 15 years with the application of white hair which has the striking effect of transforming him into a dead ringer for Dr Who. Another later TV favourite is John Slater, looking exactly the same as he did during the seventies in 'Z Cars'. One of several other surprises is a fleeting glimpse of a very young Pet Clark who in a truly bizarre twist grows up into Dinah Sheridan (appearing opposite her husband Jimmy Hanley) without the latter ever becoming aware of the fact.