James Neville (Dane Clark), the MD of Amalgamated Industries, is double crossed on a business deal by the archaeologist Cyrus McGowan (Howard Marion Crawford) leaving his firm on the brink of bankruptcy. He arranges to have himself killed so that his wife Andrea (Thea Gregory) can claim his substantial life insurance. He blackmails his friend Paul Kirby (Paul Carpenter) into committing the crime over a murder he undertook some years ago. Neville testified at his trial that it was self defence and was acquitted as a result, but the deceased's widow has since sent him some letters proving that it was actually murder one. Neville has put them into a sealed envelope with instructions that they are to be delivered to the police should he still be alive within forty eight hours. Naturally, he has arranged what should be a watertight alibi for his would be assassin. However, in a strange twist of fate, McGowan announces that their deal is back on and Neville is now faced with the dilemma of finding his killer before he can kill him. The trouble is, he has vanished. Aided by his loyal secretary, Joan Peterson (Cecile Chevreau), who is madly in love with him, he sets out to find Kirby. Several attempts are made on Neville's life before he visits his girlfriend at a Soho pub where she works and he learns that he has skipped the country as a result of getting cold feet over their contract. So who is using the contract for their own ends and who else could have known about it?...A British crime noir with a fanciful yet undeniably ingenious plot. On the downside, you will not have too much trouble in working out who Dane Clark's would be assassin is, but this is a very rewarding entertainment nonetheless. It quite convincingly recreates the style and atmosphere of American film noir thanks to the solid and sympathetic direction of Montgomery Tully, the excellent b/w camerawork of veteran Walter Harvey and strong performances from the leads - especially Dane Clark.* Caution - very large spoilers in the next paragraph.* He plays his part with a real depth of feeling alternating between ruthless brutality in the way he blackmails and bullies his friend into committing his own murder and his loving devotion towards his wife. Despite being a workaholic and letting his high powered job take him over, which means he seldom ever gets time to spend with her, he worships the ground she treads on and, so it seems, vice versa. She sticks with him through thick and thin and the reason Neville devised his elaborate plot was so that he could leave her well provided for and spare her the damage of the scandal and embarrassment that would have surely resulted had the company gone under as a result of him. When he finally finds out that his beloved wife has betrayed him and has a new lover in the form of one of his business partners Peter Glanville (Anthony Forwood) who both plot to kill him using his own contract he refuses to believe it. In the climatic shoot out in which Andrea is accidentally shot dead, he looks down at her and is deeply devastated. He gently picks up her body off of the floor and carries her back into the house saying "I mustn't leave her here, its dark, its not right" suggesting that he will still miss her and love her deeply in spite of everything. Cecile Chevreau is quite good as Joan, although her stern, bossy and schoolteachery character risks becoming off putting, and the look of envy and despair on her face as Neville picks up his wife's body and lovingly caressing it as he takes it indoors is priceless. Indeed, as the film ends we are invited to think that Joan probably did get her man, and that in the best film noir tradition, probably lived a disastrous relationship since she would have been overshadowed by Andrea even though she is dead. Room for a sequel? No, the fact that it is left for the audience to ponder the futures of the main protagonists is more fun and adds to the film's overall impact. Thea Gregory also offers a fine performance as Clark's wife and makes the perfect femme fatale.All in all, the film succeeds as an atmospheric and diverting triangle of love, deceit, treachery and murder that comes off a whole lot better than I was expecting it to. I am a follower of veteran British 'B' picture director Montgomery Tully's work and this, I think, stands as one of his better offerings. It makes us regret that after his 'A' film career faltered in the late forties that he would remain within the quota quickie industry for the remainder of his career. This is actually an early Hammer film (made in their Exclusive days) and, from the films from this era of their history that I have been able to see, it seemed they tried for quality even when making b-pics and more often than not got it.

Looks like budget-minded Lippert productions got more bang for their buck in England than in the US. This is a well-produced crime drama, with a tight script and some good touches. Nevill's (Clark) a not very likable business bigshot, (note that he treats his board of directors with uncalled for abruptness). Trouble is his latest big deal is failing, so, in desperation, he arranges his own death. That way his wife Andrea can collect insurance and be taken care of. His plan is to hire associate Paul to do the job. But surprise, the business deal suddenly goes through and Nevill's vindicated. Now he's got to stop Paul from carrying out his part. Nonetheless, it appears that Paul's gone away. Yet, surprise, somebody really is trying to kill Nevill. But if it's not Paul, who is it and why.Clark delivers an exemplary performance. Notice his subtle facial expressions to fit the mood. There're some good touches, like the suspenseful father in the park or the colorfully blustery Hyson, neither of which affects the plot but does add atmosphere. And catch that very last shot, suggesting that Nevill's obsession is not yet spent, despite the attempts to kill him, while poor Joan comes trailing after. It also suggests a sneaky subtext that might otherwise go unnoticed amid the murder plots. To me, the movie's much better than expected for a Lippert production. The movie's got mystery, suspense, and atmosphere, plus Clark's motivated turn. So catch it if you can.

Irony meets Film Noir in this study of an anxious C.E.O. who, believing he is on the verge of financial ruin, plots his own murder so his philandering wife will get the insurance money. But as fate has it, his fortunes turn, and he must stop the hit-man he hired to kill him before it is too late. "One way or another, I'm gonna get ya!" could be the theme song of one sequence where the killer goes after him in a variety of ways, and after these several attempts fail, he learns the truth.An above average entry in this series of Hammer Film Noirs (many of them less than mediocre), it is a variation of the old "D.O.A. plot where the victim tries to solve his own (possible) demise. A faithful secretary is his only confidante, and there's always a doubt as to who the real culprit is. Dane Clark may seem an odd choice to play a corporate executive (especially one in England), but he's actually quite good. There's a very funny sequence involving a rare Aztec vase being protected by a nervous assistant to the over-the-top Sydney Greenstreet like archaeologist whose denouncement at the very beginning of the film sets Clark's plans into motion.

If Paid to kill had had a more complex leading man, a sharper and less careless script, better actors, a director who knew how to sustain tension and a show-down that was considerably less over-wrought, there might have been a competent and tension-filled noir. Faint praise, I know. Yet there are the bones for a nasty little thriller here; it's just that the flesh on those bones is weak. James Nevill (Dane Clark) is president of a British company that does something we're never sure of. The name is Amalgamated Industries. He's a hard-charging gambler, successful, and confident to a fault. When a major deal falls through, his company teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. So does he. No one knows this except himself and his loyal and attractive secretary, Joan. So he does what so many chief executives facing public failure would do...he arranges to have himself murdered so that his insurance will go to his wife. Then when the deal turns out to be a success, Jim can't locate the killer and tell him to forget it. Soon, Jim is being beaten on the head, chased down by a car on a lonely street and nearly blown up in his office. Joan, in whom he has confided, is determined to help the man she secretly loves. Jim's wife, on the other hand, may not be trying to help Jim. It all comes together late at night in the garden house of Jim's mansion. Let's just say that there are no surprises as all the key cast members show up. Dane Clark was a short actor who came across as intense, confident and tough. To my way of thinking, however, he was never entirely convincing winning a fist-fight with a bigger guy. In Paid to Kill, I also wonder what sort of direction, if any, he was given. His hard-charging, hard headed American CEO of a British company is almost a caricature. It's a one note performance. The other actors fare little better, with acting that's awfully close to soap opera standards. The premise of Paid to Kill is intriguing but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.