Brighton Rock (1947) ( Young Scarface ) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]

Complex, disturbing noir character study/thriller about a 17 year old baby-faced gang leader named `Pinky, played by the director-to-be Richard Attenborough in an astonishing performance. Based on a Graham Greene novel, and co-written by Green and Terrence Rattigan (The Browning Version, The Winslow Boy), Pinky is a tremendously complex character, a sociopath to be sure, but one with a heart still beating somewhere deep down inside. Tortured by his Catholic upbringing, and repressed sexually, he vents his teen angst in violence that becomes increasingly uncontrollable, while finding his heart touched in spite of himself by a girl he marries ostensibly just to keep her from giving evidence against him. This is a tough picture, no Hollywood softened edges here. And arguably one of the better gangster films ever made.

Poorly written. Attenborough good. But not a credible story.

Stumbled on to this movie and can not believe I have not seen it before. A true classic. I cant get enough of these. The writing, characters, sets, costume, the plot is gripping and has depth.

Complex, disturbing noir character study/thriller about a 17 year old baby-faced gang leader named `Pinky, played by the director-to-be Richard Attenborough in an astonishing performance. Based on a Graham Greene novel, and co-written by Green and Terrence Rattigan (The Browning Version, The Winslow Boy), Pinky is a tremendously complex character, a sociopath to be sure, but one with a heart still beating somewhere deep down inside. Tortured by his Catholic upbringing, and repressed sexually, he vents his teen angst in violence that becomes increasingly uncontrollable, while finding his heart touched in spite of himself by a girl he marries ostensibly just to keep her from giving evidence against him. This is a tough picture, no Hollywood softened edges here. And arguably one of the better gangster films ever made.

No worth buying.

The film seems wooden and dated, with little of the tension or mounting dread of Graham Greenes book and absolutely none of Greenes speculations on the nature of Gods mercy. It is noteworthy only for Richard Attenboroughs youthful performance as the sinister villain Pinkie Brown.

THIS FILM, BLACK & WHITE NOT COLOR IS SLOW, AND QUIETLY TERRIFYING. AT FIRST WATCH, I WAS A BIT BORED. 2ND VIEWING, I SAT BACK AND JUST LET IT RUN. WOW! VERY, VERY INTENSE. GREAT BRITISH ACTING. REALLY WORTH THE PURCHASE AND 2ND VIEWING. GIVE THE FILM TIME TO DEVELOP AND GROW. THE CRASS CHARACTERS ARE EXACTLY AS THEY SEEM ONLY ITS A SLOW SIMMERING PLOT VERY RELEVANT TO EVEN, TODAY.

A brilliant noir film, far superior to the 2010 remake, although it softened elements from the even better novel.

Although the movie was true to the novel (It should be because Graham Greene co-wrote the screenplay), the film version was limited to filming standards and audiences in 1947. However the movie made the plot clearer and compressed the story into a few days, while the books timeline was longer and included additional elements that added to the story. The acting and filmography were well done for the times and focused on the plotline and a more ambiguous ending. The drama is consistent with many of the darker-toned movies of the post-World-War II era. Richard Attenboroughs performance made the film believable, but it appears that Carol Marsh, who played Rose, felt traumatized by the production efforts for undisclosed reasons. If you are a Graham Greene follower or a fan of Film Noir movies, then this is a good bet. The filming seems to reflect well the 1930s context of the authors novel setting. In todays world, the movie is a bit too dated, unless you have memories of or interest in the time period.

Fans of what is now called film noir should definitely check out this adaptation of an early Graham Greene novel. Greene really had a knack for establishing atmosphere while advancing the plot. (Example: an annoying singer in a pub - not even on camera at first - quickly becomes a major character.) Great location photography is well matched by studio sets to show an genuinely squalid environment. Young Richard Attenborough is convincing as a teen-age sociopath.