The Intruder (1953)

The Intruder: Directed by Guy Hamilton. With Michael Ripper, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Williams, Michael Medwin. Ex regimental commander Colonel Merton catches one of his former NCOs burgling his house and investigates to find the reason behind this desperate act.

“Was very intrigued by the idea for the story for u0026#39;The Intruderu0026#39;. The cast, including Jack Hawkins, George Cole and Dennis Price, were appetising, some good talent here. Plus it was directed by Guy Hamilton in his second film as director (his first being u0026#39;The Ringeru0026#39;), Hamilton was an uneven director to me but he also did do some great work such as u0026#39;Evil Under the Sunu0026#39;, u0026#39;The Colditz Storyu0026#39;, u0026#39;An Inspector Callsu0026#39; and u0026#39;Goldfingeru0026#39;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePersonally didnu0026#39;t find u0026#39;The Intruderu0026#39; a great film as such, but still found it mostly well done and with a good deal to admire. Wouldnu0026#39;t go as far to call it a must see and it is not really among the best work of everybody involved, having said that u0026#39;The Intruderu0026#39; strikes me as a film deserving of more credit and not as one barely known/shown today (or at least over-shadowed by those wider advertised or with even bigger names involved).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;The Intruderu0026#39; maybe took a little too long to get going as a result of being bogged down by a few of the flashbacks where momentum was not always there (the Arthur Howard subplot agreed doesnu0026#39;t add a lot) and Hamiltonu0026#39;s directorial inexperience showed a bit. Occasionally, it makes its points a touch too heavily, though not to the extent of feeling talked down to.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt did feel anti-climactic at the end and didnu0026#39;t leave as startling an impact as it could have done.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor all those drawbacks though, u0026#39;The Intruderu0026#39; came over mostly as a film that was done with intelligence and taste. The titular character is written with plenty of meat and compelling realism, even if the other characters are not quite as rich, while the atmosphere does wrench the gut and resonate emotionally and the dialogue is thought-provoking.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMost of the story is compelling, and handled intelligently and sensitively, allowing for some powerful moments. It is always easy to follow and didnu0026#39;t come over as disjointed or episodic. The production values are more than competent and quite beautifully done. The cast do a great job, Hawkins playing his character with hugely effective force and compassion and Michael Medwin giving a wholly convincing portrait of a flawed person worth rooting for. Cole and Price are scene stealers, as is bubbly Dora Bryan.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the whole, a decent film if not a great one. 7/10 Bethany Cox”