There was a plethora of British films made in the 1950s with an American actor in the lead role. This was done primarily as a cynical marketing exercise in order to sell the titles to the Amercian market, but here it is believable with Alex Nicol as visiting American journalist trying to uncover the truth surrounding a fellow American who died in mysterious circumstances in a small English town. Basically it's a good old British whodunit with enough suspects to keep you guessing until the end, and it is refreshing that the victim turns out to be a rather unpleasant character who had as many enemies as friends. A lot of the film was made on location including a lengthy scene on a bus which takes the American on a mystery trip deep into the English countryside. There are some impressive performances, particularly Alex Nicol as square-jawed journalist John Madison, Charles Lloyd-Pack as Captain Nash and Harry Towb as a seedy cafe owner, also watch out for Arthur Lowe in an early role as a jeweller.
Review of A Stranger in Town
