Return to Sender *** (1963, Nigel Davenport, Yvonne Romain, Geoffrey Keen, William Russell, John Horsley) – Classic Movie Review 13,342

The 1963 Edgar Wallace filler thriller film Return to Sender stars Nigel Davenport as a corporate fraudster arrested for stealing a very large sum of money from his partners. He hires a dodgy operator (William Russell) to sort out the mess he’s in.

Director Gordon Hales’s 1963 Edgar Wallace filler thriller film Return to Sender stars Nigel Davenport, Yvonne Romain, Geoffrey Keen, and William Russell. It is written by John Roddick, based on a novel by Edgar Wallace, and is made at Merton Park Studios as part of the long-running series of Edgar Wallace films.

John Horsley co-stars as Superintendent Gilchrist, who arrests an arrogant corporate fraudster called Dino Steffano (Nigel Davenport) for stealing a very large sum of money from his partners. When the fraudster learns that the brilliant barrister Robert Lindley (Geoffrey Keen) will lead the prosecution case against him, he sets out to undermine the barrister’s credibility by employing a handsome but shady individual named Mike Cochrane (William Russell) to use smear tactics against him.

The acting is good, led by two intense and sharply focused performances by Davenport and Keen, showing their class as actors. Main star Davenport is spectacularly slimy, giving a masterclass in playing a cheesy slimeball, and Keen gives his usual dependable keen turn as the none-too-admirable legal good guy. Yvonne Romain has a high time as Davenport’s cohort Lisa, and William Russell is tremendously devious as the dodgy operator Davenport hires to sort out the mess he’s in. Jennifer Daniel is effective as Keen’s daughter Beth.

It’s not a police investigation story (John Horsley only has a couple of little scenes) or a mystery. Set in a Sixties Brit noir world, it’s a thriller, and pretty thrilling it is too.

The plot is tremendously convoluted, with several surprises up its sleeve. Intelligently written and carefully constructed, it is an excellent, thoroughly enjoyable episode.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,342

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