Alastair Sim is a timid clockmaker with a part time job – International Assassination Expert. He hasn't been getting too many assignments recently, but his latest mission will put him back on the top of his profession. However, he stalks the wrong target, blowing up a boring politician instead. And now he must pay the price for his breezy bungling in a killingly funny black comedy starring George Cole, Dora Bryan and Terry-Thomas.


viewer's comments:

- A classic black comedy film...................
A top cast starting with Alastir Sim, George Cole and Terry Thomas. Sim plays the pretty evil hitman, Harry Hawkins who is foiled in his quest to blow up a politician by vacuum cleaner salesman William Blake (George Cole). The plot twists and turns to such an extent that it's quite hard to follow, but brilliant all the same. Terry Thomas appears for only about 20 minutes, but adds a hint of magic to the whole film. As always Sim and Cole work together brilliantly on screen and it's just a funny, quite creepy, good film.


- Entertaining black comedy from a stage play
Excellent performances from Alastair Sim , George Cole , Jill Adams and Terry Thomas , in a very fifties British B/W comedy. The plot line is a bit weak but lots of fun if you like frantic farce.


- Delightful black comedy
Mr Sim is ideally cast as a seemingly mild but actually ruthless assassin. His perfect comic timing, expressive features and ability to switch on a sense of genuine menace are well used in this sprightly farce. George Cole is admirable as the well meaning young hero while Jill Adams is a radiantly beautiful and desirable heroine. As indisputably English as Wimbledon but much more fun!


- Alastair Sim as a hitman, Terry-Thomas being amorous - dreamy
Great Ealing farce in the Kind Hearts and Coronets murder-comedy stylee, revolving around Sim's hitman (specialising in slapstick bomb-hits) plotting the death of a prominent businessman, and George Cole's vacuum cleaner salesman, out to thwart the killer...Room for plenty of comedy shenanigans as the top cast blunder around leaving clues and confusing each other, building to a climax at the country inn of the title. Thoroughly enjoyable for fans of the genre, with just a little bit of Terry-Thomas thrown in near the end to add his unique suave zest to a very appealing mix. Expect the thrills to come from Sim's eyebrows and laid-back attitude, and Terry-Thomas' 'tache, rather than the plot.






cast: Alastair Sim .... Hawkins
George Cole .... William Blake
Terry-Thomas .... Charles Boughtflower
Jill Adams .... Ann Vincent
Raymond Huntley .... Sir Gregory Upshott
Colin Gordon .... Reginald Willoughby-Cruft
Avril Angers .... Marigold
Eileen Moore .... Joan Wood
Dora Bryan .... Lily
John Chandos .... McKechnie.

Runtime: 80 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Black and White