NEVER LET GO is such a good British crime picture that I'm surprised more people don't know about it. The main character is a rather weak and weedy man, played by a cast-against-type Richard Todd. He's a lowly salesman whose car is stolen by a young thug at the film's outset, leading him on to an obsessive quest to get it back. The trail soon leads to a garage run by an unscrupulous crime boss, played by Peter Sellers, also playing against type. Both Todd and Sellers are making real efforts here in roles neither are used to and both are quite excellent. The film's unusual storyline builds on the suspense and keeps the viewer guessing as the story progresses, and it all builds to a climax which for once it worth the wait. A fine supporting cast includes David Lodge as a heavy, Noel Willman as a detective, Elizabeth Sellers as the stressed-out wife, Mervyn Johns as an informant, Adam Faith as a thug, and Carol White, who would go on to fame in POOR COW.

Never Let Go is about the auto wrecking/salvage business, I guess called auto "breakers"/salvage in the UK, but an illegal aspect of it. When a late model car is wrecked it's title is saved and the car's engine number, chassis number, and body serial plates are transferred to a stolen car which is then resold under the wrecked cars title. Lionel Meadows (Sellers) is the kingpin of an auto theft ring. Titles are collected from wrecks by MacKinnon (Bailey), make, model, and year are put on a list. This list is given to Lionel who then gives the list to his boys who then steal the exact matches. These cars are then driven to Reagan's (Stock) auto body shop where the serial numbers are changed and the cars repainted to match the wrecked titles. The altered cars are then driven to Meadows Garage and sold.John Cummings (Todd) is a milquetoast barely making ends meet as a London cosmetics salesman. One night he stops at Berger for a few hours to do some paperwork before heading home. While inside his car is pinched by Tommy Towers (Faith) who drives it to Reagan's (Stock) auto shop, where it will be altered.John is devastated, he didn't get it insured for theft, just third party risk. John's wife wants him to forget about trying to get the car back. She's becoming distressed about his actions, actions which she, in a backhanded way, ignited. She told John that he was always chasing pipe dreams that he never caught and made reality. That sets John off, determined to "never let go" until he gets his Anglica back.John's obsession and alienation from his wife increases steadily throughout the remainder of the film. This change is convincingly well acted by Todd who goes from soggy milquetoast to hard crust burnt toast. Peter Sellers though is practically unrecognizable. His Meadows character looks like his pudgy evil twin. He's frighteningly different, very twisted from the comedic Sellers we are used to. He sports a push-broom mustache. He is petty, vicious, vile, and has the facade of an outwardly polite charmer. Meadows pseudo smiles, only with his mouth not his eyes. He's a fastidious over the top neat freak, complaining about Jackie's untidiness, placing coasters under drink glasses and ranting about lit cigarettes left on veneer. He also has a sexual sadistic kink with his mistress Jackie. He's a pressure cooker slowly building as things in his little world go awry. He has startlingly violent outbursts. Like a safety valve he's letting off steam, but it's not helping, you know there will be the inevitable explosion as he rages on about the "little nob, lipstick salesman" , and how he's going to "kill him. put him in his car, and burn it!"Never Let Go builds nicely to an inevitable showdown punctuated by John Barry's score. It's what a noir should be, about interesting small time characters and simple conflicts that spiral bizarrely of control. Bravo 9/10

This is not as great a film as the comments lead me to believe. However, it is a well done piece of work and obviously done on a very modest budget. The story is a bit heavy-handed in places, and the scene where the wife tells her husband that he's a loser is very hard to believe. That all being said, it is a dreary, gritty slice of England in the early sixties and is a showcase for the dramatic talents of Peter Sellers. While some of the supporting roles are well done, Sellers shines like a bright diamond with his intense and convincing portrayal of a carjacker, free of any moral pretense. If this film had been widely seen, I am convinced that many directors would have tried to get Sellers into more serious roles. His ability to leave all traces of the Goon comedy figure behind is truly astounding. If you are interested in post-war English cinema, this is an interesting film. If you are a fan of Peter Sellers, it's a must see.

Saw this movie in the UK in the early 60's. Sellers was a major comedic hero of mine who I first discovered in The Goon Show. What made "Never Let Go" so important was that as far as I can remember this was the only time he played a vicious character. The scene where he is crushing Adam Faith's hands in a drawer stayed with me forever not only because Faith was a major pop star at that time but that it was shocking to see Sellers play this cruel roll. Now some 40+ years later I wish Sellers had pursued this other side of his character in more films as I think he could have become a real 'bastard' London character that have become so popular. Yes I prefer his comedy as it was so important to Britain's comedic release from it's stiff upper lip but he might have become one of the few actors that span both comedy & drama. Imagine Sellers with a touch of Bob Hoskins & Michael Caine (Long Goodbye mixed with Ipcress/Alfie). Definitely worth seeing. As an aside Adam Faith was a huge pop singer who did some acting and later became a very successful business man. Look out for his music.