Hell Is a City
1960 · Movie · NR · 98 min · ★ 6.6 · 74% critics
In industrial Manchester, an escaped convict returns to familiar streets after a violent crime, while a determined police inspector follows the trail through bars, gambling spots, and the city’s darker corners. The hunt becomes a tense clash between criminal desperation and relentless pursuit.
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Details
- Years
- 1960
- Release date
- 1960-04-10
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Critic score
- 74/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (34 votes)
About
You’ll like this if you enjoy tough British crime stories like The Blue Lamp or Jigsaw, with a grim city mood and steady tension; Not for you if you want light escapism.
Pros: gritty Manchester atmosphere; brisk suspenseful pacing; strong central performances | Cons: dated gender attitudes; uneven minor characters; thin villain development
Themes
- robbery
- northern england
- based on novel or book
- police
- film noir
- murder
- fugitive
- black and white
- police inspector
- hammerscope
Cast & crew
Stanley Baker
as Insp. Harry Martineau
John Crawford
as Don Starling
Donald Pleasence
as Gus Hawkins
Maxine Audley
as Julia Martineau
Billie Whitelaw
as Chloe Hawkins
Joseph Tomelty
as Furnisher Steele
George A. Cooper
as Doug Savage
Vanda Godsell
as Lucretia Luske
- DO
Dickie Owen
as Bragg
Alister Williamson
as Sam
Directed by Val Guest