Offbeat (1961)

one of my absolute favorites!

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Scotland Yard hires an MI5 undercover agent called Layton (William Sylvester) to infiltrate a professional gang of bank robbers and jewel thieves lead by James Dawson (Anthony Dawson). Going under the name of Steve Ross, Layton uses the phoney criminal background the Yard have given him and he is quickly accepted by the gang. He discovers that they are planning a £750,000 diamond heist from a major London jewellers and they have picked him to plan it. Layton falls in love with Ruth Lombard (Mai Zetterling), the widow of a former gang member, but she soon discovers his true identity and threatens to shop him. Layton switches sides and tells her that he will use his share of the loot so they can start a new life together in South America. But will his plans come unstuck?Refreshing and intelligently thought out British crime drama, which marked the very promising debut of Cliff Owen as a director. Best known for comedies like The Wrong Arm Of The Law (Peter Sellers), two of Morecombe and Wise's big screen vehicles and TV sitcom spin offs such as Steptoe And Son; he also directed the splendid heist thriller A Prize Of Arms (Stanley Baker), which suggested a versatile talent that, sadly, the British cinema never used to its full potential. Going by what he did make, we are tempted to wonder what many other British films of his era would have been like had he directed them rather than the people who actually did.This second feature boasts a rather charming (though hardly realistic, I suspect) portrayal of London's underworld in which the crooks are treated sympathetically and, on the whole, like good ordinary people. American leading man William Sylvester skilfully plays the hardboiled, lone wolf MI5 man who finds a sense of purpose in his life in his involvement with the gang and his new found happiness with the beautiful Ruth. Prior that he describes his life as "I needed nobody and nobody needed me". There is a moving scene in which his Scotland Yard contact (played by the ultimate b-pic copper Victor Brooks) tells him that he "wouldn't want to be in their world" because they have "no honour, no trust" dismissing their only motive as "greed". A rather annoyed Layton replies "How do you know? I found them different, just ordinary people, a little mixed up trying to make a living dishonestly." The down to earth insight continues in a scene in which a tacky detective drama is playing on the TV and one of the crooks turns it off in dismay asking "Why don't they show what the underworld is really like?" "Then they would have to portray us as ordinary people just trying to make a living and the public wouldn't stand for that" is the reply.Good humoured, moving and thought provoking throughout, Peter Barnes' screenplay is laced with lots of memorable lines and dialogue. The emotional element between William Sylvester and Mai Zetterling's characters is powerful and we find ourselves sympathising with them throughout their predicament. The climax is also much more effective than that of the average British b-pic. No, I won't give the ending away, but it really is emotionally satisfying and rather tragic in its own way leaving us with something to think about long after the end credits have rolled.Available on DVD as part of Network's marvellous The British Film collection.

Firstly can i say that i really enjoyed the very funny scene in the bank with the wrestlers rehearsing their fight.There seemed to be any number of British crime films of this era where criminals were breaking into bank vaults.Thé only difference in this film is the presence or an undercover policeman,hence the pun in the title.A reasonable but not memorable film.

"To play this game", says one veteran criminal to a new recruit, "you need a cool head and an eye for angles." The same advice could apply to the art of filmmaking as well, and here's a good case in point: what could have been a routine British thriller, but with more style and intelligence than otherwise might be expected from such a familiar scenario. The new recruit is actually a spy hired by Scotland Yard to infiltrate an underground crime network, where he discovers during an elaborate jewelry heist more honor among the ring of thieves than among his fellow law enforcers. Aside from the ambiguous ending and a sometimes too relentless big city jazz score, this is first-class escapist entertainment with more than one trick up its sleeve....Note: the film was titled 'Offbeat' at the rare theatrical screening I attended, on the Berkeley campus way back in 1986...

OFFBEAT - 1961 - UK A nifty 70 min long caper film with a twist. William Sylvester is a MI-5 agent who gets transfered to Scotland Yard to help them with a problem. One of their detectives has been killed in a hit and run. Scotland Yard believes the detective was done in by the gang he was trying to infiltrate.The Yard hopes someone from outside the force might have a better chance. Sylvester goes deep undercover as a gunman for hire. He evens pulls a bank heist in order to impress the local underworld. His no nonsense style soon has him in demand with all the proper people.He gains entry to the gang and finds he quite enjoys the lifestyle. Money, booze and babes, what more does a guy need. He helps plan a million dollar jewel heist intending to take his cut and blow to South America. They pull the job and head to the hideout to split up the loot.The police however show up on an unrelated matter and his plan falls to pieces. Quick on his feet, Sylvester switches teams again, and helps round up the mob. He is a hero! He would rather of had the money.Nice work by the lead as we watch him be slowly taken by the "dark side". He has returned to being a cop, but the look in his eyes says it will not be for long.Sylvester was an American actor who worked quite a few years in the UK during the 50-60's. The always stunning Mai Zetterling plays the mob girl he wants to run off with. John Meillon, who played Paul Hogan's partner in the first two Croc Dundee films, plays one of the thugs. Also in the cast is Anthony Dawson, John Phillips, Neil McCarthy, Harry Baird and Victor Brooks.Neat and fast direction from Cliff Owen keep this one zinging along. Owen did the great Stanley Baker crime film "A Prize of Arms" the following year. Good film imo.A nice looking bit of film with long working Geoffrey Faithful handling the cinematography duties. His work includes, MARK OF THE PHONIEX, RIVER BEAT, THE LARGE ROPE, RADIO CAB MURDER, ROADHOUSE GIRL, FIRST MAN INTO SPACE, CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, MURDER SHE SAID and VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.