Matrixiole
Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Seraherrera
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Hadrina
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Benedito Dias Rodrigues
Confusing in the first half hour and hard to understand this early British noir,however states as masterpiece for many but similarity with old mysteries movies from England,the young gangster baby face Pink Brown certainly should be a study process for so enigmatic and evil character,the Brighton gang are outdated guys,nevertheless Pink be afraid of them and kill each one in your turn,psychotic to extreme deserves all movie's credits, Attenborough has an stunning performance beyond that expected,the twist in the final comes to crown this magnificent noir!! Resume: First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5
GusF
Based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Graham Greene, this is a fascinating exploration of morality and the darker side of human nature. I read the novel six or seven years ago so my memories of it are not particularly fresh but I think that the film sticks closely to it with the exception of toning down the Catholic doctrine / damnation theme and the ending, which I will discuss later. As such, the film has a very strong script, written by Greene himself and Terence Rattigan. It is extremely well directed by John Boulting and the black and white cinematography by Harry Waxman is beautiful. Atypically for British films of the era, it was filmed on location in Brighton. This was to the film's benefit as the nice seaside holiday resort atmosphere is a great contrast to the underworld elements.Richard Attenborough is simply marvellous as the psychopathic 17-year-old gangster Pinkie Brown, a role which he reprised from the 1944 West End adaptation. It is an absolutely riveting and often chilling performance. Pinkie is not a particularly verbose character - he has only one line in the first 15 minutes, for instance - and he seldom raises his voice but the intense way in which he stares at people makes him terrifying. His face is often half in shadow, which adds to the effect. More importantly, the film does not shy away from presenting him as an amoral, callous bastard. The fact that Attenborough had a baby face and was quite a short, slight man provides a fantastic contrast to Pinkie's behaviour as, unlike many other film gangsters, he is in no way physically imposing. It is his strength of personality which makes people fear him. It is one of Attenborough's best known performances but it is interesting that he became well known for playing steadfast, deeply moral, thoroughly decent and courageous men in his most of later films.Carol Marsh, otherwise best known for playing Lucy Holmwood in "Dracula" (1958), is very good as the sweet, naive and deluded Rose. As she is aware of the fact that Fred Hale was dead when Pinkie and his gang claimed that he was still alive, Pinkie manipulates her into marrying him so that she will not be able to testify against him. Like Pinkie, she is a 17-year-old Catholic but she is far less worldly than her new husband and does not realise that he despises her. In his gramophone recording, he makes this very clear: "You asked me to make a record of me voice. Well, here it is. What you want me to say is 'I love you.' Here's the truth: I hate you, you little slut." Charming.The film has a very strong supporting cast such as Hermione Baddeley as the principled, forceful "brass" Ida Arnold, William Hartnell as Pinkie's frightening right-man hand Dallow (who eventually displays a glimmer of conscience), Harcourt Williams as the alcoholic, Shakespeare quoting lawyer Prewitt, Attenborough's future "The Great Escape" co-star Nigel Stock as Cubitt, Alan Wheatley as the murder victim Fred Hale, Reginald Purnell as Frank Spicer and George Carney, who died the very month that the film was released, as Phil Corkery. It also features a small appearance from Marianne Stone, whom Attenborough would later direct in "Oh! What a Lovely War" in which he returned to Brighton.Now, onto the ending. In the final scene, after Pinkie has committed suicide, Rose plays the aforementioned record but it becomes stuck and plays "I love you" over and over again. I have seen this described as upbeat when compared with the novel's ending in which Rose hears the full message but I can't agree. I think that it is very depressing that a very nice young girl is so deluded that she thinks that a boy who was repulsed by her and wanted to murder her was in love with her. It's less bleak than the ending of the novel but not by much. In any event, there is nothing to stop her from listening to the full message the next time that she plays it. It is a rare example of a film changing the ending of a novel without completely invalidating the original one.Overall, this is an excellent and thrilling example of film noir which pushed the limits of what was acceptable in British films in the 1940s.
FilmCriticLalitRao
As a film, Brighton Rock can be defined as a good character study of different people who find themselves directly or indirectly involved in a crime involving Brighton's gangsters. The film is able to strike a fine balance between childish entertainment and taut thriller. There are good performances by all actors but famous British director Richard Attenborough is able to carve a separate identity for himself for his chilling portrayal as a young hoodlum with blood on his hands. For most English tourists Brighton is a small town in England which is famous for its seaside resort. Its popularity soared immensely when famous British writer Graham Greene wrote a novel about its vicious criminal gangs who firmly held on to their Christian beliefs. It was in 1947 that director John Boulting's film "Brighton Rock" was released for general public. The film was an immediate success with both critics as well as viewers as it remained as close as possible to the original book. For this purpose Graham Greene collaborated with famous British dramatist Terence Rattigan. In recent times,a remake has been made which presents a new version of the story with additional colors.
Leofwine_draca
BRIGHTON ROCK is an adaptation of a novel by Graham Greene, detailing the exploits of a group of youthful gangsters terrorising the seaside town of Brighton in Britain's post-war period. These days, it's well remembered chiefly for Richard Attenborough's dominating performance as the psychotic gang leader, Pinkie.Of course, in these days of ultra-violence and sadism, Attenborough's character feels fairly restrained. But the power of his performance is undeniable: it's mostly done via his eyes, which are cold, calculating and convey a sinister ruthlessness that comes to the fore as the story progresses.The film opens with a bang, with a careful set-up giving way to a great, sweaty chase scene through the streets of Brighton, eventually leading to the pier itself. The pacing then drops a notch as we're introduced to the ne'er-do-wells (including a young DOCTOR WHO, William Hartnell) and the film becomes a character study more than anything else. There's a would-be romance with pretty young Hermione Baddeley before things finally pick up for a suspenseful climax in which Pinkie reaps his eventual rewards.Although I thought the film was well-made, well-acted and well-written, with Greene doing the screenplay himself, I have to admit that it didn't quite grab me like I was hoping it to. It's a solid piece of film-making, but aside from Attenborough's strong performance, not one of my favourites.