''Murder in Reverse'' (also styled ''Murder in Reverse?'') is a 1945 British

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Montgomery Tully Montgomery Tully (6 May 190410 October 1988) was an Irish film director and writer. Film career Born in Dublin, Tully studied at the University of London, and originally entered the film industry as a director of documentaries. Later, Tully wo ...

and starring

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in '' Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Bri ...

, Jimmy Hanley and

Chili Bouchier Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progre ...

. It is based on the story ''Query'' by "Seamark" ( Austin J. Small). A successful film in its time, ''Murder in Reverse'' was shown at the British Film Institute on the big screen in June 2010 to great success, selling out the auditorium.

Plot

Tom Masterick, a

stevedore A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number ...

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...

, London, is married with a young daughter. He discovers that his wife has been having an affair with a man named Fred Smith. In a fit of rage, Masterick fights Smith in a saloon bar, and the fight spills out onto the streets, leading to a high stakes chase on a docks crane, which ends with Smith falling to his apparent death. Despite no body being found and Masterick 's insistence that he did not commit murder, he is found guilty and sentenced to death, which is later commuted to 15 years in prison, despite his insistence that he saw Smith alive after his apparent death. Upon his release, Masterick is determined to uncover the truth about Smith’s fate and the events that led to his wrongful imprisonment. He discovers that his wife had disappeared with Smith and that their daughter, Jill, had been adopted by Masterick's close friend and newspaper editor, Sullivan, who had tried unsuccessfully to change public opinion in Masterick's favour during his early incarceration. Sullivan fears that revealing the truth about Masterick's past could hurt Jill, who has no memory of her real parents. Jill, who is in a relationship with junior reporter Peter Rogers, becomes involved in the case and believes Mastrick is the victim of a

miscarriage of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...

, oblivious he is her real father. Following private investigation, Masterick finds his former wife, now abandoned by Smith and living in poverty. She advises where Smith can be found, but is unsuccessful in her attempt to reconcile with Masterick, who is only driven by his desire for justice and sets out to find Smith. Masterick finds Smith running a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

and in an act of duplicity, convinces him that he is not out to avenge him. Following a conversation, the two agree to split any compensation that Masterick believes he will receive for his wrongful imprisonment. They visit the judge who presided over the case, who is entertaining guests at a dinner party. Masterick explains that there has been a miscarriage of justice, and the victim is alive and well, standing next to him. However, the judge is unwilling to help, citing the passage of time and the legal technicalities surrounding the case. Frustrated and desperate, Masterick fatally shoots Smith in front of the judge and his guests, seeking revenge for Smith's failure to come forward during the trial. In the

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...

, Sullivan remarks that Masterick cannot be convicted of murder since he already served a prison sentence for it. The killing was, in effect, a "murder in reverse."

Cast

Production

The film is based on the story ''Query'' by Seamark and featured

Dartmoor prison HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor. The prison is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and is operated by ...

. It was among the first films directed by "prolific" director

, who had previously worked on many short films during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Release

The film saw a general cinema release rather than having a West End showing, due to being an independent production. Hartnell made a personal appearance at the film's showing in Glasgow's Regal and Coliseum Cinema in October 1945.

Reception

According to trade papers, the film performed well at the British box office in 1945. Reviewing the film in 1949, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' praised it highly, describing the film as building to "a tricky climax which leaves the audience breathless and virtually able to write its own ending". They particularly highlighted the performances of Hartnell as "extraordinarily good as the betrayed husband", while noted other cast such as Slater, Sheridan and Bouchier as being "excellent". The ''Saffron Walden Weekly News'' also praised the film as an "amazing story", noting that Hartnell gave an "outstanding performance". The ''Middlesex Advertiser and County Gazette'' also praised the film highly, describing it as a "really first-rate adventure yarn filled with vivid characters brought to life by a lengthy cast of experienced British players". It was considered a "good British film" by the '' Birmingham Post'', who remarked that it was "a change to find a picture which has the courage to treat a serious matter seriously".

References

External links

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Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{Montgomery Tully 1945 films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films 1940s thriller films Films about miscarriage of justice Films directed by Montgomery Tully British black-and-white films British thriller films Films shot at British National Studios