Commander Gideon (John Gregson) of Scotland Yard knows that the famous racing car driver Bruce Carroway (Jack Hedley) and his mechanic Eric Little (James Culliford) killed his business partner Jeff Grant (Geoffrey Palmer) after he found out that Carroway had been cooking the books at their secondhand car business to fund his extravagant lifestyle. Both covered it up to look like an outside job; but proving it is difficult since both men are alibiing each other. Since Little, a former racing car driver himself, is completely loyal to Carroway because he once saved his life at great risk to himself when he pulled him from a blazing car wreck, it seems highly unlikely that he ever will give him away. Carroway has it all, good looks, money and he is a womaniser who is trapped in a loveless marriage to Mary (Sheila Allen). Despite his amiable public face, Carroway is a deeply unpleasant man who is only concerned for himself and even has his adoring mistress, Marjorie Bowman (Jennifer Daniel), killed when it turns out that she could shatter his alibi and give him away. When her body is fished out of the English Channel near Folkestone in Kent, Gideon has enough to prove that it was Little who dumped her from his plane as he was flying it in the vicinity at the time of the murder. But, can Carroway still count on the loyalty of his closest friend?
All in all, The Alibi Man is another first class entry into the excellent Gideon's Way series. It is tautly directed by Cyril Frankel and it benefits from fine acting all round by a cast of familiar faces from British film and TV. Jack Hedley, perhaps giving the best performance of his career here, is particularly good as the villainous racing car driver skilfully bringing out all the nuances of his character. He is outwardly charming to his adoring public but in his private life he is a ruthless, scheming and deeply unpleasant person to whom loyalty means nothing and will do anything to ensure that he is always the one who comes out on top while someone else always takes the rap. James Culliford is also stand out as his devoted mechanic who is so loyal to him that he even confesses to the murder of Carroway's business partner saying "I've never lived up to what Bruce wanted me to be" referring, of course, to the time he had bravely saved his life. But, of course, this means nothing to the man apart from smiling smugly to himself when his back is turned thinking that no one can see because he knows he has just got away with murder. Commander Gideon (played by the perfectly cast John Gregson) knows in his copper's heart of course, but unless Little finally sees sense, he has no way of proving his guilt. We wonder if the determined Scotland Yard man later played a little psychological warfare by collecting evidence to show that Carroway couldn't care less for him and that he is free and enjoying his high life whilst he is languishing behind bars for potentially the rest of his life. We never find out and this provides both the emotional and suspense elements of the story. Jennifer Daniel, who appeared as a leading lady in two of Hammer's classic horror films, The Kiss Of The Vampire and The Reptile, offers a convincing performance as a young, niave and lovesick teenager who is madly in love with her idol that she quarreled and left her parents over it. But, again, when she proves dangerous to him he does not hesitate to kill her too and her death scene where Culliford throws her out of a light aircraft is quite harrowing to watch. Sheila Allen is quite good as Hedley's unhappy wife and the insight we get into it is quite emotionally moving too. The light hearted moment in this one comes from Gideon's home life in which his young son, Malcolm (Giles Watling), happens to be an adoring fan of Carroway and while he is questioning him his father has to get his autograph for him. Yet, Gideon doesn't let on to his kid, but he knows in his heart that his son's hero is a ruthless killer whom he has to nail. Also look out for Geoffrey Palmer of As Time Goes By fame in the cast who appears here as Hedley's ill-fated business partner.
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