''Operation Murder'' is a 1957 British 'B'

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by Ernest Morris and starring Tom Conway, Patrick Holt and Sandra Dorne. It was written by

Brian Clemens Brian Horace Clemens (30 July 1931 – 10 January 2015) was an English screenwriter and television producer. He worked on the British TV series '' The Avengers'' and created '' The New Avengers'' and '' The Professionals''. Early life Clemen ...

and produced by the Danzinger brothers.

Plot

A scheme by two doctors to establish an alibi for a killing by switching roles in the operating theatre is foiled by the insight of a detective and the chance action of a small boy.

Cast

* Tom Conway as Dr. Wayne * Patrick Holt as Dr. Bowen * Sandra Dorne as Pat Wayne * John Stone as Inspector Price * Virginia Keiley as Julie * Rosamund John as Head Nurse *Frank Hawkins as Sargeant Vine * Robert Ayres as Larry Vinton *Gilbert Winfield as garage attendant *Timothy Fitzgerald as Harry Bright *Alastair Hunter as Williams

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "The familiar crime-and-detection formulas are applied in a manner conventional to the point of dullness; and the acting does little to brighten things up. Perhaps the reason the scenes in the operating theatre (reminiscent, as they are, of something better) achieve so little tension is because the locale itself has become so stereotyped." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "Unpretentious and untidy British thriller. ... The cast contains popular names, but the leading players fail to achieve the impossible and seal the many loopholes in its sketchy script. Both surprise and punch are lacking. ... The picture has a novel idea, but its ingenuity is dissipated by unsubtle treatment. John Stone does a neat job as Inspector Price, but Tom Conway and Patrick Holt are forced to behave as if they want their heads examined as Doctors Wayne and Bowen and Sandra Dorne is completely wasted as Wayne's extravagant wife. The staging, too, leaves something to be desired, and so does the dialogue. Definitely made on frayed cuff." ''The Daily Film Renter'' called the film: "a routine affair, acted with a fair measure of competence all round." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Dull drama, described by one critic as 'clinical claptrap'."

References

External links

* {{The Danzigers 1957 films British crime films Television shows shot at New Elstree Studios 1950s English-language films Films directed by Ernest Morris 1950s British films Films scored by Edwin Astley English-language crime films