NORTH WEST FRONTIER is a solidly enjoyable adventure story that might well be described as a British western. The setting is India at the turn of the 20th century, with Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall tasked with rescuing a six-year-old Hindu prince from a clutch of murderous Muslims who want to kill him and thus destroy his ruling family's bloodline.
Much of the action is centred on a train, with More and a clutch of passengers doing their very best to escape from an overwhelming horde of gun-toting enemies. And the film has a real verve to it, near-constant well-shot intrigue and suspense courtesy of director J. Lee Thompson, who would keep on directing strong action for the next thirty years of his career. It helps that it hits the ground running, offering some electric action at the opening that Hollywood can only dream of.
The rest of the film is a nice mix of character work and suspense staples. I think the production could have had twenty minutes or even half an hour shaved off it quite easily, but it's still an above-average effort. More has a naturally likable screen presence and is one of my favourite stars of the era, and he's supported well by a spiky Bacall here. Inevitably one of the passengers is a traitor and there are no prizes for guessing who given that Herbert Lom is in the cast, but he gives a strong performance of depth and class. Wilfrid Hyde White and Ursula Jeans round out the cast, although the real scene-stealer is I.S. Johar as the lovable Gupta. Containing slightly controversial religious themes that feel just as relevant today (if not more so than in the 1950s), NORTH WEST FRONTIER is one to catch.
Much of the action is centred on a train, with More and a clutch of passengers doing their very best to escape from an overwhelming horde of gun-toting enemies. And the film has a real verve to it, near-constant well-shot intrigue and suspense courtesy of director J. Lee Thompson, who would keep on directing strong action for the next thirty years of his career. It helps that it hits the ground running, offering some electric action at the opening that Hollywood can only dream of.
The rest of the film is a nice mix of character work and suspense staples. I think the production could have had twenty minutes or even half an hour shaved off it quite easily, but it's still an above-average effort. More has a naturally likable screen presence and is one of my favourite stars of the era, and he's supported well by a spiky Bacall here. Inevitably one of the passengers is a traitor and there are no prizes for guessing who given that Herbert Lom is in the cast, but he gives a strong performance of depth and class. Wilfrid Hyde White and Ursula Jeans round out the cast, although the real scene-stealer is I.S. Johar as the lovable Gupta. Containing slightly controversial religious themes that feel just as relevant today (if not more so than in the 1950s), NORTH WEST FRONTIER is one to catch.