Joseph Losey went to England to escape the blacklist and worked under an assumed name. He was an excellent director, but this isn't up to his usual standards.
The Sleeping Tiger is a low-budget film that Losey wanted Dirk Bogarde to star in, and Bogarde obliged. The two would go on to do some marvelous work together later.
A psychiatrist, Dr. Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) takes young criminal Frank Clemmons (Bogarde) into his home as an experiment to see if he can reform him. One look at Bogarde, and we know it's going to be uphill all the way, especially since he still moonlights committing robberies.
Esmond's bored wife (Alexis Smith) becomes involved with Frank. Will the good doctor find out? Will the good doctor find out that Frank is still a crook? Will his wife and Frank run off together?
This thing is a hodge-podge containing a lot of psychobabble. Bogarde, at the time a huge matinée idol in England, gives an excellent performance as a bad boy, something he was always good at. He went through the early part of his career alternating between romantic leads and snake charmers.
Finally, he settled into a series of strong roles, first in the controversial film "Victim," and then in more artistic projects directed by Liliana Cavani, Losey, and Visconti.
Alexis Smith's role isn't terribly fleshed out, nor do we know a great deal about the character's marriage.
For me, seeing Bogarde is always worth it, but this film is kind of a mess.
Very uneven and cheap looking. Better Losey can be found in "The Servant" and "Accident," both of which star Bogarde.
The Sleeping Tiger is a low-budget film that Losey wanted Dirk Bogarde to star in, and Bogarde obliged. The two would go on to do some marvelous work together later.
A psychiatrist, Dr. Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) takes young criminal Frank Clemmons (Bogarde) into his home as an experiment to see if he can reform him. One look at Bogarde, and we know it's going to be uphill all the way, especially since he still moonlights committing robberies.
Esmond's bored wife (Alexis Smith) becomes involved with Frank. Will the good doctor find out? Will the good doctor find out that Frank is still a crook? Will his wife and Frank run off together?
This thing is a hodge-podge containing a lot of psychobabble. Bogarde, at the time a huge matinée idol in England, gives an excellent performance as a bad boy, something he was always good at. He went through the early part of his career alternating between romantic leads and snake charmers.
Finally, he settled into a series of strong roles, first in the controversial film "Victim," and then in more artistic projects directed by Liliana Cavani, Losey, and Visconti.
Alexis Smith's role isn't terribly fleshed out, nor do we know a great deal about the character's marriage.
For me, seeing Bogarde is always worth it, but this film is kind of a mess.
Very uneven and cheap looking. Better Losey can be found in "The Servant" and "Accident," both of which star Bogarde.