I went to the world premier of this film.It was held at the Regent Cinema,Brighton around 1960.I remember I was wearing a pair of winklepickers that became more uncomfortable as the film progressed. Some of the principal members of the cast lived in the Brighton area which must have saved on cab fare. "The shakedown" to my mind was indistinguishable from a long line of British second feature black and white crime films that preceded it. It was crisply shot,peopled by actors who should have known better but managed to keep a straight face and it disappeared off the radar shortly after it's release. It was like a tarted-up Edgar Lustgarten short. Of course compared to most TV crime shows nowadays it was great art. It only needed Peter Bull(well,he lived local),Eric Pohlman and Francis Wolff to make it complete. Suspending all critical faculties I can enjoy it because it evokes an age when people would still watch gangster films without coming out drenched in blood shouting"Die,mother******".
Review of The Shakedown
