The Good Die Young:Brit Noir

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stuart.uk
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Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

The Good Die Young:Brit Noir

Post by stuart.uk »

Spoiler

Though The Good Die Young is a British movie, it has an American invasion in the form of John Ireland, Richard Baseheart and Gloria Graham. However, the Brit actors in the film, Stanley Baker, Laurence Harvey, Margaret Leighton and a young Joan Collins more than hold their own.

The film is basically about 4 men who are down on their luck and their wives. 3 of them, Ireland, Baseheart and Baker are actually decent blokes, who meet in a pub to discuss their problems. It's only when their joined by Harvey their lives take a dark turn. Baker plays an washed up boxer strapped for cash, Basehart wants to take his wife Collins, who is dominated by her mother, back to his home in the States, while Ireland is tormened by his cheating actress wife Graham. Graham's role is similiar to Virginia Mayo in The Best Years Of Our Lives, Moira Lister in The Cruel Sea and Nanette Newman in The League Of Gentlemen in the cruel way she treats her husband in TGDY. (I was just thinking Graham's role of Anytime Annie, I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say Know from Oklahoma might very well be the most innocent role of her career, because she's played a few sleazy characters in her time)

Now we come to Harvey's character, who learned how to kill in WW2, becoming a war hero in the process. He also came from a privileged backgorund, has both a rich father and rich wife, however, he's a gambler, who owes money. Though his wife (Leighton) loves him she refuses to give him anymore money. His father (Robert Morely), who loathes and despises his wastrel of a son (He tells him his main ambition in life is that he outlives his son so he can't inherit his money) Funnily enough Harvey excepts the decisions of his father and the wife, he still loves, clamly, but his evil comes to the fore in other ways. He knows of Baker, having seen him box. This leads to the introdution to his pals in the pub. It's then that Harvey suggests a robbery. Reluctantly the other 3 go along with it. However, though they steal £90-000, Harvey kills a policeman in the process. Baker is so outraged by Harvey's killer instincts he decides to give himself up, but Harvey shoots him in the back.Then greedy Harvey pushes Ireland in front of a passing train, when Baseheart wasn't looking, when they're making their getaway. However, the American no longer trusts the Englishman and gets away from him, carrying just enough money to get him and Collins to America. However, at the airport, Harvey discovers Baseheart in a phone booth, calling the police to tell them where the loot is. Baseheart manages to shoot Harvey, beleiving he's killed him. However, as he walks away the dying, smiling, Harvey still has the strengh to shoot Baseheart in the back. It appears Baseheart has survivied the shooting when he joins Collins in the airport lounge, be he later dies in her arms on the way to the plane. Waiting by the plane is Leighton, not yet knowing her husband is dead.
Last edited by stuart.uk on June 22nd, 2013, 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JackFavell
Posts: 11926
Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am

Re: The Good Die Young:Brit Noir

Post by JackFavell »

Sounds like a great cast, Stuart! I'll keep an eye out for this one.
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