Tiger by the Tail (1955)
On the first night of his London assignment, newsagency reporter John Desmonmd becomes heavily involved with enigmatic Anna Ray. The affair ends when she is shot struggling for a gun she has pulled on him. This is only the start of his troubles, as Anna worked for a criminal organisation who know Desmond has now got her valuable contacts list.
- John Gilling
- John Gilling
- Willis Goldbeck
- John Mair
Rating: 5.6/10 by 5 users
Alternative Title:
Cross-Up - US
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 20 minutes
Budget: $80
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: london, england, reporter
Despite having a pretty lacklustre cast, John Gilling adapts his own story quite well here to create a slightly more intriguing mystery. This time the visiting American box-office star is Larry Parks and he dons the role of journalist "Desmond". He has barely stepped off the plane when he finds himself embroiled with "Anna" (Lisa Daniely). Her part in the film is somewhat short-lived and soon our intrepid reporter is discovering that not only is he a person of interest to the police, but he is also being sought by her erstwhile employers who know that he has her valuable - and incriminating - contacts list! What adds a little to the interest here is the style of story-telling. Whilst it does deprive the plot of much jeopardy, it also sets an effective template for what is the retrospective nature of the unfolding of events. The supporting cast - notably Constance Smith as his assistant "Jane" are adequate and although it could comfortably have lost fifteen minutes off the rather meandering central section of the film, it's still a decent little thriller.
