I think a lot of what makes this film resonate, even now 50-odd years later - is the stark fact that back then, the murder of a police officer was still pretty rare and was a crime guaranteed to galvanise both the police and the criminal fraternities alike against the culprit. That all helps to create an authentic scenario in which Dirk Bogarde is super as a petty thief who gets caught up in events that quickly run out of control. Peggy Evans is great, too, as the hysterical girlfriend. Basil Dearden keeps the whole thing tense and engrossing as the net begins to close and we get a gripping finale to this fairly simple film.
