Strongroom

Reviews

John Chard
Superior British "B" Noir. Strongroom is directed by Vernon Sewell and written by Max Marquis and Richard Harris. It stars Derren Nesbit, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner and W. Morgan Sheppard. Music is by Johnny Gregory and cinematography by Basil Emmott. Three men enact a bank robbery and lock up the manager and his secretary in the vault. Upon making their getaway it dawns on them that the two in the vault could die from lack of oxygen and thus landing them as murderers should they be caught... Every once in a while a "quota quickie" or "B" crime movie really strides out on its own to stand tall and proud, Strongroom is one such film. Originally the support feature to the George Chakiris film Two and Two Make Six, Sewell's picture went down well enough with the public that it often became the main feature in some theatres. Compact at just 80 minutes in length, it's a picture heavy on claustrophobia and thematic stings, embracing that old noir devil of fate along the way. It's directed in a tight no-nonsense way by Sewell, who manages to keep things moving without it being at cost to nail biting suspense. Well performed by all involved, it's a film that never once cops out, right up to, and including, the quite brilliant finale. 8/10

CinemaSerf
The last ten minutes of this film are quite nerve-wracking. A trio of bank robbers leave the manager and his assistant locked in their strong room after stealing the loot. Their somewhat flawed plan to release them afterwards goes awry when one of their number is killed and so it falls to the remaining pair - "Griff" (Derren Nesbitt) and "Len" (Keith Faulkner) to try and get back to open the door before they are apprehended by the pursuing police and, more importantly, before they end up facing murder charges! The acting is really nothing special, but the tension built up by Vernon Sewell is really quite effective. It's almost enough to make you want to open all the windows... The whole is most certainly better than the sum of the parts and though it could lose fifteen minutes from the middle, it makes for quite a compelling and different take on the routine crime caper.
Movie Recommendation
- Destination Murder1950-06-09Laura Mansfield catches a glimpse of mob hit man Jackie Wales after he shoots her businessman father. At the police station, Laura identifies Jackie as the murderer, but the policeman in charge of the case, Lt. Brewster, lets him go, citing a lack of corroborating evidence. Outraged, Laura worms her way into the unsuspecting Jackie's heart, trying to snare him and mob-connected club owner Armitage in her trap.More...
- The Zen Diary2022-11-11Tsutomu lives alone in the mountains, writing essays, cooking Zen food with the vegetables he grows and the mushrooms he picks in the hills. His routine is happily disturbed when Machiko, his editor and love interest, occasionally visits. Tsutomu seems content with his daily life. On the other hand, he still hasn't let go of his wife's ashes, although she died 13 years ago.More...
- 1930 FIFA World Cup Official Film2005-03-18A unique and historically valuable addition to the Official Films Collection, these 14 minutes of material predate television and provides both black and white and colour coverage of the first ever FIFA World Cup™. There are five minutes of material from the final in colour, providing a record of Uruguay’s victory in 1930.More...
- The Great Deception1959-09-23Burgundy 1728. Old count Antoine d'Eon is overjoyed. His daughter-in-law has finally given birth to a boy and he will at long last be able to transmit his inheritance to his son Pascal. At least this is what he thinks, for Pascal has concealed from his father the fact that his son was ... a daughter, his eighth daughter! Well, enough is enough and Geneviève has no other choice but become a boy first, then a soldier and even the special envoy of Louis XV, King of France, to Catherine II, the Czarina of Russia.More...
- Mutter reicht's jetzt2016-11-28On their 35th anniversary, Barbara dreams of Provence’s lavender fields, but her husband won’t budge. Secretly, she joins a French class with free‐spirited teacher Alexander and classmates Mehmet, Richard, Simon, and Miriam, learning life as much as language. As Barbara blossoms in newfound friendships, her family notices her spark reignited, and she resolves to seize her own happiness.More...
- Mountain Woman2023-06-30Late 18th century, Tohoku. An outcast girl, Rin lives in a village suffering from famine. She draws strength from Mt. Hayachine, where the spirits of humans ascend after passing.More...
- Rhythm of the Islands1943-04-16Rhythm of the Islands is set in the South Seas, presumably far away from the shooting war. The nonsensical plotline finds hero Tommy (Allan Jones) posing as a native chief. Joan Holton (Jane Frazee), daughter of a millionaire (Ernest Truex), falls in love with Tommy, unaware that he's a charlatan.More...
- A Conversation with God2001-04-28The original subject intended for this film was a spiritual medium who was unbelievably accurate. Tsai Ming-liang jumped on his 50cc motorbike, equipped with a DV camera ready to shoot her, to see whether the god would speak to his camera. But on the way, he was caught in a traffic jam of people gathered at another god’s festival. A man in a trance, flashy karaoke girls on stage, a power black-out. During his diversion, the camera discovers fish and underground passagesMore...
- Robbery in Athens1969-06-12Three young people have decided to rob the safe of the estate agent Thomas Christidis, whose office is in the center of Athens. The first of them is Ntinos, who is Christidis’ clerk, the second one is Stavros, Ntinos’ younger brother who works as a book representative, while their friend Michalis is a pirate taxi-driver. The robbery is successful, and they feel excited.More...
- Bogotá 20162001-09-21Three scripts, each one with independent storylines, have in common a vision of the Colombian capital in 2016.More...
- ¿Has escuchado la leyenda?2013-01-01Mexican feature filmMore...
- Hakutaka Shirataka Amane no Investigation File2021-03-22A corpse of a clown is found in a park. Detective Shirataka Amane of Musashino Higashi Police Station begins investigating with rookie detective Uzuka Shinsaku. They find a picture of the victim holding a balloon with the number 1 and the letters TTX on social media which indicates pufferfish poisoning. Shirataka intuitively suspects that this is an incriminating statement done by a serial killer, but Chief Investigator Fukukawa Saeko denies her. Detective Kusano Seiya and other personnel of MPD First Investigative Division join the investigation, then a second murder occurs. Shirataka recalls an unsolved kidnapping and murder case from two years ago that she still regrets.More...
- The Hat1981-03-19The hero of the movie is a popular composer and jazz performer. He is certainly a gifted man. However, his character is... to put it mildly, uncomfortable. He lives by emotions, he cares little about the fate of people who love him. Some will think that he is right in his own way; some will think that he missed something important in life. But anyway, one thing is certain: God is helping him.More...
- Maji! 8: The Bloodshed1997-09-22Shozo is the head of the Tamba clan, who is after the Nagisa clan's territory. He is concerned about the existence of Maji, and tries to make a fuss about the fact that Maji's younger brother has eloped with his daughter.More...
- Arms and the Man1989-04-16First produced on the London stage in 1894, "Arms and the Man" immediately established Shaw's reputation as one of the greatest wits in London drama. This beautifully remastered BBC production brings to life an uproarious comedy that still resonates in its critique of warfare and romance.More...
- SHY, LOW – SNAKE BEHIND THE SUN LIVE IN RICHMOND V.ANo data for this movieSHY, LOW – LIVE IN RICHMOND V.A (2021)More...
- Sublapse Video Mag 11986-01-23Video Fanzine featuring: Half Japanese, Redd Kross with Sky Saxon as Purple Electricity, R Kern, Sonic Youth, White Flag, Psycho Daisies, Charlie Pickett, Nick Zedd, Morbid Opera More R&R, Film, Prose. Pencil numbering indicates there was a run of 600 tapes.More...
- The Last Samurai1990-02-28Following the trail of a samurai ancestor, two Japanese businessmen on a quest for spiritual fulfillment arrive in Africa with a group of tourists, only to get kidnapped by the local guerrilla leader. A tough mercenary must rescue them.More...
- Triumph of Maciste1961-10-02The evil Queen Tenefi demands that a steady supply of young women be sacrificed to the God of Fire. Maciste intervenes and saves from this sacrifice a village's women including the beautiful Antea. Maciste then becomes involved in an effort to restore to the throne of Memphis its rightful ruler, Prince Iram.More...
- Braking in the Heavens1990-07-17The first secretary of the regional committee, Makhonin, sums up after the meeting of the party's general secretary with the regional economic and party activists. At the same time, he reports to those who allowed themselves critical speeches at this meeting. Central television accidentally records this “debriefing”, finding the material interesting send the film to Moscow by plane. Makhonin finds out about this and, frightened of the consequences, decides to return the plane and destroy the film at all costs...More...
Similar Movies
Julia
2008-03-12An alcoholic becomes involved in a fellow A.A. member's plan to kidnap her young son from the boy's wealthy grandfather.Knockaround Guys
2001-11-30Four sons of well-known New York mobsters must retrieve a bag of cash from a small Montana town ruled by a corrupt sheriff.The Harder They Come
1972-09-01Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.Smokin' Aces
2006-12-09When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.Jane Austen's Mafia!
1998-07-24Takeoff on the Godfather with the son of a mafia king taking over for his dying father.Dream Kiss
1992-12-21The gorgeous Margot supports her aged father by seducing men on trains, slipping them a Mickey Finn (a beso de sueño) and robbing them. One night her victim is a currency smuggler taking 100 million pesetas out of Spain. He's being watched by a cop and by a burned-out alcoholic.Hafen der Düfte
2013-12-07Hong Kong, 2012: The former British crown colony has been part of the People's Republic again for 15 years. To mark the anniversary, the Haiman Collection, a collection of magnificent art treasures, is to be presented to the public for the first time. The curator of the eagerly awaited exhibition is the Berlin art expert Victoria Philips. However, the night after her arrival, all the exhibits are stolen. Victoria has to find high-quality replacements, but the Chinese collectors are hostile to a European woman. Victoria receives unexpected help from the prominent nightclub owner Edward Lim, who is passionately courting her. When Inspector Braddock suspects that the businessman is involved in the theft of the Haiman collection, Victoria finds herself in an emotional dilemma...Analyze That
2002-12-06The mafia's Paul Vitti is back in prison and will need some serious counseling when he gets out. Naturally, he returns to his analyst Dr. Ben Sobel for help and finds that Sobel needs some serious help himself as he has inherited the family practice, as well as an excess stock of stress.Find Me Guilty
2006-03-16Based on the true story of Jack DiNorscio, a mobster who defended himself in court for what would be the longest mafia trial in U.S. history.The Italian Job
2003-05-30Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn't plan on was being double-crossed. Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safecracker, Croker and his team take off to re-steal the loot and end up in a pulse-pounding, pedal-to-the-metal chase that careens up, down, above and below the streets of Los Angeles.Gone in Sixty Seconds...
2000-06-09Upon learning that he has to come out of retirement to steal 50 cars in one night to save his brother Kip's life, former car thief Randall "Memphis" Raines enlists help from a few "boost happy" pals to accomplish a seemingly impossible feat. From countless car chases to relentless cops, the high-octane excitement builds as Randall swerves around more than a few roadblocks to keep Kip alive.New York Stories
1989-03-10Get ready for a wildly diverse, star-studded trilogy about life in the big city. One of the most-talked about films in years, New York Stories features the creative collaboration of three of America's most popular directors, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, and Woody Allen.Trail of the Pink Pan...
1982-12-03The Pink Panther diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and the authorities call in Chief Inspector Clouseau from France. His plane disappears en-route. This time, famous French TV reporter Marie Jouvet sets out to solve the mystery and starts to interview everybody connected to Clouseau.7 Seconds
2005-06-28When an experienced thief accidentally makes off with a Van Gogh, his partner is kidnapped by gangsters in pursuit of the painting, forcing the criminal to hatch a rescue plan.Rodents
1999-09-12The world of Salvador, a young and naive petty thief is changed by the arrival of his cousin Angel, an ex-convict in search of easy money, and with a hideout. Salvador gets wrapped up in Angel's twisted dealings in an attempt to escape from his suffocating family, dragging along his family and friends, in his criminal path. Where will this all lead?Darkman
1990-08-24Dr. Peyton Westlake is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when his laboratory is destroyed by gangsters. Having been burned beyond recognition and forever altered by an experimental medical procedure, Westlake becomes known as Darkman, assuming alternate identities in his quest for revenge and a new life with a former love.King of New York
1990-07-18A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to New York's poor and lower classes in this stylish and ultra violent modern twist on Robin Hood.The Way of the Dragon...
1972-12-30Tang Lung arrives in Rome to help his cousins in the restaurant business. They are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Tang arrives he poses a new threat to the syndicate, and they are unable to defeat him. The syndicate boss hires the best Japanese and European martial artists to fight Tang, but he easily finishes them off.Kung Fu Hustle
2004-02-10It's the 1940s, and the notorious Axe Gang terrorizes Shanghai. Small-time criminals Sing and Bone hope to join, but they only manage to make lots of very dangerous enemies. Fortunately for them, kung fu masters and hidden strength can be found in unlikely places. Now they just have to take on the entire Axe Gang.Glengarry Glen Ross
1992-09-10When an office full of real estate salesmen is given the news that all but the top two will be fired at the end of the week, the atmosphere begins to heat up. Shelley Levene, who has a sick daughter, does everything in his power to get better leads from his boss, John Williamson, but to no avail. When his coworker Dave Moss comes up with a plan to steal the leads, things get complicated for the tough-talking salesmen.