Johnny Mellors has a score in mind. A payroll van for the factory is an easy enough mark and with his three gang members in tow what could go wrong. Each has a job and they will stick to it. Blackie is muscle and a mean to boot. Monty is the skilled technican and knows about radios. Then you have Bert who can drive and drive well. When however the inside man tells them about the van changing and becoming a secured vehicle, the options seem to be limited. Johnny however will not be preturbed and decides to carry on with the heist as planned. When the inside man, an accountant with the firm introduces Johnny to his war wife and dangerous French moll all becomes complex. All are thrown into this poisoned mix and as we know criminals have little honor among them. So it is set to become a murderous quest for money and revenge. But will anyone get away with the loot?

Yes we have all seen the crime films of the late 50s and early 60s. That is of course if we are British film fans or genre film fans and understand the route to which this trend came about. Where Musicals and high production values flooded mainstream, so grim and grotty subjects became the gold of B Movie and international films.  Film Noir and serial films of the 40s had lead to B movie madness in the post war period. This inturn lead to the search for films and genres that could create cheap films that were draws for audiences and film makers alike. Crime became the go to genre as it had the sense of people, that is to say the darker side of nature and the pain of those who had fought. These crime films dealt with the new found financial growth often focusing on the money which was being derived from industry and technology. They also had at their edge the dire living of those at the edges of society and called upon the soon to surface Kitchen sink dramas.

Payroll fits into this perfectly. I have heard some say it is a par for the course film of the genre and the period but I feel that these film commentators have missed the mark slightly. The film makers have taken the simple and often seen events and have added televisual aesthetics. This includes the use of zooms to draw attention, narrow focus and film in real street settings. This is also reflected in the acting that is often melodramatic and emotive. The power of these scenes can be felt as dynamic and intimate at the same time. The sets are under or over lit but these allow for a canvas that holds up to the viewer as real. Much of these films of the time hold you either in a pressure cooker or a slow boil. The tone of this film is really very tense and bold in its pressured immediacy. This is quite different from much at the time and I feel commentators should review this again.  It is a rewarding and powerful film that still works today.