Murder Without Crime

This 1950’s adaptation of the West End play ‘Double Error’ sees Dennis Price and Derek Farr embroiled in a psychological cat and mouse game, following the alleged murder of a one-night fling.

From the word go, this b/w film has a distinct film noir quality to it, emphasized by an American narrator who is either the real deal, or puts on a Yank accent for reasons not entirely clear.
The action, however, doesn’t take place in the US but in a luxury pad in London, where author Stephen Holt (Derek Farr) and his glamorous wife Jan (Patricia Plunkett) have one hell of an argument. She packs a bag and leaves for a nearby hotel, he decides to head for the Tenerife Club, a cocktail bar of sorts where he encounters Grena (Joan Dowling), the hostess with the mostess. Several drinks later, his conscience gets the better of him and he heads back home, alone. It’s not before long though when Grena appears on the doorstep, with the excuse that Stephen forgot his cigarette case in the club. Asking her inside, it looks as if Stephen won’t spend the night alone after all, but then Jan unexpectedly phones him and – full of remorse over the argument – announces that she will be checking out within the hour and come back to him.
That’s bad news for Grena, who had hoped to spend the night with her new and obviously wealthy lover. When Stephen asks her to leave, she refuses. During the resulting scuffle he accidentally knocks her over and – panic-stricken and believing her to be dead – hides her corpse inside an ottoman in the living room.

Meanwhile, in the flat underneath, sly and dandified landlord Matthew (Dennis Price in his best role since Kind Hearts & Coronets) wonders what the racket upstairs is all about and enters Stephen’s apartment with the excuse of returning a borrowed book. Matthew is well aware that Stephen had a female visitor with him, just as he is aware that said visitor never left the premises… He’s quick to figure out what really happened, but leads his tenant to believe that he doesn’t. First, he begins to play a power game before he blackmails Stephen into paying him lots of money. Either that, or he will report the murderer to the police. Matthew furthermore confesses that he desires Jan, and has done so for a long time. Stephen reluctantly agrees to his landlord’s demands, then briefly returns to the nightclub after realizing he forgot one of his gloves there. Meanwhile, Matthew inspects the ottoman and discovers that Grena is in fact still alive and merely has knocked her head badly during the fall.
Here then is the movie’s big implausibility: regardless as to how panic-stricken Stephen was after the accidental death of Grena, surely he would have checked her pulse before deciding that she really is dead? Also, seeing how she is still alive, would Grena (or anyone else in the same situation) really wait for someone to lift the ottoman’s cover to check whether a corpse is in there? Hardly! Chances are that she would have banged and knocked and start screaming for help (not to mention air!).

Well then, back to the slightly flawed plot: scheming Matthew sends Grena back to her own flat, but decides not to tell Stephen that the blond good-time gal is in fact alive and kicking. At least not for a while! The pleasure he derives from psychologically tormenting his tenant is too big… so big in fact that Stephen, upon his return, decides to end his own life by lacing his drink with poison. Unfortunately and in yet another unexpected twist, it’s Matthew who ends up drinking it…

Things don’t end here of course, and some more plot twists are in store. The film’s pace is surprisingly fast moving, considering that almost all of the action takes place in someone’s apartment, and with a mere four key players at that.

Murder Without Crime is an entertaining gem indeed (flawed plot aside), and wonderfully acted by an inspired ensemble cast.
Special features include ‘instant play facility’, brand new transfer from film elements, and slim-line packaging.