Freedom to Die *** (1961, Paul Maxwell, Felicity Young, Bruce Seton, T P McKenna, Kay Callard) – Classic Movie Review 13,350

Freedom to Die is a 1961 British second feature crime thriller film.

The 1961 British noir second feature crime thriller film Freedom to Die is written by Arthur La Bern, and stars Paul Maxwell, Felicity Young, Bruce Seton, T P McKenna, and Kay Callard.

Director Francis Searle’s 1961 British noir second feature crime thriller film Freedom to Die is written by Arthur La Bern, and stars Paul Maxwell, Felicity Young, Bruce Seton, T P McKenna, and Kay Callard. There is only one decent character in the entire movie, and that person is going to murder someone in cold blood at the end of the movie.

Paul Maxwell stars as Craig Owen, a confidently creepy crook sprung from jail by the Irish gangster Mike (T P McKenna), who seeks out gang boss Felix Gray (Bruce Seton) who has the proceeds of their robbery a couple of years back, to get his hands on the stash of stolen loot.

At Felix’s wrestling arena hall and upstairs apartment, Craig also encounters Felix’s beloved daughter Linda (Felicity Young), and soon falls for her, though the feeling is hardly mutual. Felix orders Mike to do away with Craig. The police are snooping around. Linda has the keys to two safe deposit boxes that contain the robbery money, which makes her even more attractive to Craig.

The moody thriller Freedom to Die is patchy, but the best bits are good, and, with some fascinatingly odd stuff and an unexpected ending it easily raises itself above the routine and over-familiar. The cast are all pretty good, too, some really good, relishing playing quite extravagant, extreme characters: Paul Maxwell as Craig Owen, Felicity Young as Linda, Bruce Seton as Felix, Kay Callard as Coral, T P McKenna as Mike, and Laurie Leigh as Julie.

The young T P McKenna is outstanding as the Irish gangster Mike, Paul Maxwell is deliciously slimy, giving a masterclass in slimy, and Bruce Seton is an oddly sympathetic suave villain, ruthless but redeemed by his love for his daughter.

The noir-style black and white cinematography by Ken Hodges and the mostly doomy score by John Veale are assets and add class. Some shaky dialogue and some shaky moments of acting produces wobbles in credibility and enjoyment, but there is more good stuff of both to enjoy. And experienced director Francis Searle keeps in firm control of it, in terms of pace, atmosphere and suspense.

The prison and wrestling hall settings add a lot of value. Its fatalistic story is quite gloomy, though quite tense and even sometimes exciting.

The film is supposed to take place in London, but is obviously filmed in Ireland, shot at Ardmore Studios, Bray, in County Wicklow. The prison featured is Mountjoy Prison in Dublin (opened 1850 and still in use). In the film inmates refer to ‘The Island’, which was Spike Island located in Cork Harbour. The prison was Ireland’s Alcatraz, closed in 2004.

It is the final cinema film of Kay Callard.

Arthur La Bern (1909–1990)

British novelist Arthur La Bern wrote screenplays for Freedom to Die (1961), Dead Man’s Evidence (1962), also directed by Francis Searle and featuring Bruce Seton), but starring Conrad Phillips and Jane Griffiths, Time to Remember (1962), Incident at Midnight (1963), Accidental Death (1963) and The Verdict (1964), the last all four part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries film series made at Merton Park Studios.

Paul Maxwell (born Maxim Popovich; November 12, 1921 – December 19, 1991)

Canadian actor Paul Maxwell worked mostly in British films and TV, regularly cast as Americans.

The cast

The cast are Paul Maxwell as Craig Owen, Felicity Young as Linda, Bruce Seton as Felix, Kay Callard as Coral, T P McKenna as Mike, and Laurie Leigh as Julie.

Freedom to Die is directed by Francis Searle, runs 61 minutes, is made by Bayford Films and Ardmore Studios, is distributed by Butcher’s Film Distributors, is written by Arthur La Bern, is produced by Charles A Leeds, is shot in black and white by Ken Hodges, and is scored by John Veale.

Release date: 5 March 1961 (UK).

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,350

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