A brand-new restoration of the classic Basil Dearden Ealing drama THE GENTLE GUNMAN from Vintage Classics.

This is the emboldened claim from Studio Canal under its Vintage Cinema umbrella, in their rather dampened press for Basil Dearden’s THE GENTLE GUNMAN. What a claim for a film that had a rather lovely transfer on DVD and to be honest, has been well treated as it has both links to a great director and also great actors. So we obviously are aware that this statement is akin to’ we have invested in this A class product, so you should buy it post haste.’ For me this is equally annoying in its insistence and irrational in its lack of creative balance. We are again supposed to hand over hard cash, for something that we have a fairly solid version floating around for cheaper.

Well the story might drive some to it. The blitz is hammering London. Terry (John Mills) and his younger brother Matt (Dirk Bogarde) are in the city, working on behalf of the IRA. This is all undercover but being Irish in London during the war is a hard thing indeed. Matt tries to bomb an underground station but Terry scuppers this. Matt questions his loyalty and expresses concern to his commitment to the cause. Terry sees violent methods as empty hearted. Others are doing it and succeeding in making Britain listen. When two fellow IRA members are arrested, Terry and Matt are asked to break them out. But will they go through with the plan?

So yes we have the film. A great film that it is indeed. But what else do we have to invest in. The Extras are it. The main one is a zoom chat between Matthew Sweet And Phuong Le. I feel that both are trying very hard to be engaged and interesting, without sounding or feeling either clinical (which Le comes off as) or overly invested in a zero sum game (Sweet comes off like this). What I mean by this is simple. We know and understand the history of the struggle. We know and understand the actors history. We also have seen and heard better work on the director. I appreciate that Studio Canal want alternative and unique takes. Maybe loosen the ties to those creating.

Extras:

A closer look At The Gentle Gunman With Film Writers Matthew Sweet And Phuong Le
Behind The Scenes Stills Gallery