rikumovie

Richard Attenborough as Reg Christie

10 RILLINGTON PLACE (1971). Director: Richard Fleischer.

Timothy Evans (John Hurt), his wife, Beryl (Judy Geeson), and their baby take an apartment in a building owned by Reggie Christie (Richard Attenborough). The Evanses don't know that Christie is in the habit of gassing and strangling women when his wife is out of town. Timothy goes into a panic when he learns that Beryl is expecting a second child they can't afford, but she assures him that she'll "take care" of it. Christie, who claims to have certain medical knowledge from his service in the Army,  offers to help ... and that's when the lives of the couple spiral downward into a nightmare of horror and despair. Based on a true story and filmed on the dreary location of the events, 10 Rillington Place expertly examines a terrible miscarriage of justice, as well as the life of a conscienceless sociopath and those whose lives he touches. Attenborough offers a first-rate performance as Christie, and Hurt, if not quite in the same league, has some very, very good moments. Geeson and Pat Heywood as Christie's wife are also notable. Hurt later became famous for the chest-burster scene in Alien. Attenborough appeared in Jurassic Park and directed Gandhi, among others. He gave another superb performance in The Flight of the Phoenix. Fleischer's most famous movie is probably Fantastic Voyage.

Verdict: Completely absorbing true crime drama. ***1/2.

Pamela Franklin and Stephen Boyd

THE THIRD SECRET (1964). Director: Charles Crichton.

"Look around the world, doctor. What's so special about madness? What's so special about murder?" 

Alex Stedman (Stephen Boyd of Fantastic Voyage), an American TV personality working in London, refuses to believe that his friend and psychiatrist Leo Whitset (Peter Copley) committed suicide. Whitset had helped Alex get over the death of his young daughter, and the latter feels that suicide would go against everything the man believed in. Stedman's belief that Whitset's death had to be homicide is shared by the latter's daughter, Catherine (Pamela Franklin), who reminds Alex of his own daughter and helps him to bond with her. Alex thinks the killer must be one of Whitset's patients, and he goes to see each of them: neurotic art dealer and artist Alfred (an unrecognizable and excellent Richard Attenborough of 10 Rillington Place); lonely Ann (Diane Cilento), with whom he sleeps; and Sir Frederick (Jack Hawkins), who has a secret buried in his past. The "third secret" -- the real truth -- is unveiled at the climax. Boyd gives an excellent performance in this, as does Pamela Franklin [The Nanny], Cilento [The Wicker Man], and Hawkins [She Played with Fire], but the movie never really catches fire, and the solution seems fairly obvious from the first. Judi Dench has a small role as Attenborough's assistant.

Verdict: Somewhat intriguing, but a little too gloomy and flaccid. **1/2.