Strongroom is a splendidly taut ‘n’ tense 1960’s UK thriller. It is based largely in a bank's strongroom- where two people are stuck inside, with the air rapidly depleting. The film wonderfully notches up the tension- keeping you on the edge of the seat, right until the end. Here from BFI taking a 2k scan, two new commentary tracks, and a good selection of archive extras- including another feature from the same director/ cast & crew.

Strongroom is from the year 1962. It was directed by Edmonton, Middlesex-born Vernon Sewell.  Between the mid-forties and the early seventies, Sewell had thirty-two features to his name. These take in shipyard-based wartime drama The Silver Fleet (1943), steamboat set mystery horror Ghostship (1952), London set noir Spin A Dark Web (1956), and comedy/ horror crossbreed Burke & Hare (1972).

The film has a trim runtime of one hour and eighteen minutes. It’s set on the day before a bank holiday weekend in a small English town. We see three men in a van watching a bank- later we find out these are brothers Len(Keith Faulkner) & Alec( William Morgan Sheppard), and their friend Griff( Derren Nesbitt) - together the three run a scrap/ breakers yard. The men have been staking out the bank for the last few months

 We then get shots from inside the bank, where a rather pompous, middle-aged and moustached bank manager, Mr Spence(Colin Gordon) and his young blond secretary Rose Taylor(Ann Lynn) are. She is shortly going to catch a train for a weekend away, and he is going to be picked up to go play a few rounds of golf.

The three in the van get fed up, as the staff aren’t acting as they had expected. Griff has a postman uninform with a hat- she he goes and knocks on the bank’s door. He and the other two push into the bank, pulling on eerie masks made of tights.

The robbers take the two staff members down to the downstairs vault, with them opening quickly with two sets of keys. Griff fills up a bag with the stacks of cash- with the three just about ready to go…then they hear the voices of cleaners coming from upstairs. In a panic, they tie up and throw the two staff in the strongroom, but unfortunately, it’s airtight.

As the film unfolds, we get a wonderful mix of drama, tension, and light action.  Gordon and Lynn do great as the trapped in the strongroom pair, as the three burglars keep juggling with their moral dilemma. The plot flows well, with quite a few unexpected twists, and one great twist at the end. All in all, it's a great crime thriller

On the disc, we find a second Vernon Sewell film- 1961’s The Man In The Backseat. This features actors & crew from Strongroom.  It runs a tight fifty-seven minutes and is a mix of robbery-focused noir and kitchen sink drama, with light suggestions of the supernatural.

We open at one of London’s Greyhound tracks- just before they're packing up business for the night. Inside the place's office, bow-tied and suited bookie Joe( Harry Locke) is counting and bagging up his takings for the night in a thick leather bag- making double sure he won’t get pounced on for the money, he handcuffs it to himself

Meanwhile, out in the shadows near his car lay Tony(Derren Nesbit) and Frank (Keith Faulkner), who played two of the male leads in Strongroom. For this film, their roles are rather reversed; Tony is the one with no conscience/ pushing the crime forward, while Frank is more cautious and concerned.

As Joe steps out, the pair jump him, though they are shocked to find he’s handcuffed- so in a panic, they knock him out and throw him in the back of the car. As they drive out into London, we get some great neon-lit shots of the city streets at night, as the pair figure out how they are going to get the cuff off & stolen money pocketed without anyone knowing.

As the film unfolds, we get dips into kitchen sink drama, as  Frank returns to his nagging/ concerned blond-haired new wife Jean(Carol White), blended with the noir robbery tropes. As the pair try to get themselves out of a tricky situation, they seemingly make things much worse.

Both Nesbit and Faulkner are great in their roles, as are those in the small supporting parts, too. There is a nice steady pace to the film, with some neat twists and turns in the plot. And towards the end of the proceedings, we get a suggestion that supernatural forces are at play.

The film features some great moody shots of London at night- both in the lit streets and in more shadowy alleyways. There’s also a rather charming encounter with an AA man, as back in those days, it was acceptable if you just had an AA badge on your car to get help.

The Man In The Backseat is a most worthy slice of Brit noir, and it's great to have it here as part of this release

Moving onto the extras side of things, and first off, we get a commentary track for both pictures by film historians Dr Josephine Botting and Vic Pratt.  For the Strongroom track, they begin by discussing the engaging and impressive open scene of the locking of the Strongroom, with the layered use of both light and shadow.  They talk about how it's a heist film from a different angle, with it often sidestepping the tropes you expect from the genre. The chat about how the burglars are not experienced, and how you really feel that all the characters have lives beyond the film's action. We find the interiors in the film were shot in Twickenham Studios, and exteriors in the nearby small town of St Margarets. They discuss the film's set design by Duncan Sutherland, and how effective it is. They point out how differently each set of characters talk to each other, and how it all sounds very believable.  Later on, they discuss the way formalities dissolve as the film goes on. Point out some bit part actors as they appear, and more.

For the The Man In The Backseat track. They move from discussing the film's feeling of confinement, and a constant sense of fear and dread. On to talking about the minimal but effective jazzy score by Johnny Gregor, who also scored Strongroom.  They discuss the dress of the bookie and the wood be robberies. We find out the interiors were shot in Beaconsfield studios, and the London roads are around Edgware. They comment on the type of dressing grown White is wearing, and what it says about her character. Later on the discuss how the film's prominent characterisation is firmly in place. And much more. Both of the tracks are very well researched and observed, with the pair really adding to each film's impact.

On the archive side of things, we get the following:  a two-part 1992 BEHP audio-only interview with Strongroom editor John Trumper (158 mins). Footpads (0.35):  from 1896, one of the earliest British crime films. A Test For Love (27.11): a 1937  Vernon Sewell's public information film on the perils of STDs. The Awakening Hour (20.30): a 1957 film regarding a robbery that goes wrong as morning breaks in London, and After Dark (13.55): a 1979 road safety film edited by John Trumper.

The finished release comes with a Illustrated booklet with new essays by James Bell, Barry Forshaw and Tony Dykes; notes on the special features and credits.

In conclusion, this is a great double bill of British crime/ noir films. With informative/interesting new commentary tracks, and a worthy selection of archive extras. Another excellent BFI release!