Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

jamesraeburn2003 An undercover policeman, Inspector Gerald Blake (Patrick Holt), robs a jewelry store, gets caught and sent to prison before escaping to enable him to infiltrate a criminal gang lead by Larry Conn (Robert Ayles). He successfully secures Larry's trust by pulling off a raid on a warehouse in which a valuable consignment of nylons are stolen. As a result, Larry trusts Blake to accompany him on what will be his last and biggest job yet. A ship is arriving from America containing £50,000 worth of furs and the job is to steal them from the warehouse on the docklands. However, one of Larry's gang, Mac (Mike Brennan), doesn't like Blake and is sure he is an undercover cop. But, Mac isn't as in favour with his boss as Blake is and decides to prove himself right in order to curry favour with the big man. Meanwhile, Larry's girlfriend, Judy (Sandra Dorne), sees Blake as an opportunity to get away from him and offers to help him pull a double cross and take the loot for themselves. Little does she realise that he is a policeman and that is not the sort of double cross he has in mind...Solid, efficient and unpretentious crime drama from Bob Baker and Monty Berman's Tempean Productions who made some of the best British 'B' pictures of the 50's. This doesn't really measure up with their best work since the script by John Gilling is a pretty standard crime story. Yet, there is still some fun to be had here with Patrick Holt surprisingly effective as the tough, hard boiled and daring undercover man and his real life wife Sandra Dorne is striking as the streetwise and easy going girlfriend of Robert Ayles. This part is a decided contrast to the role she played as the femme fatale in Wolf Rilla's excellent noir b-pic Marilyn (1952) and displayed her range and diversity as an excellent 'B' film leading lady. Efficiently directed by Bob Baker who succeeds in constructing some smooth suspense out of the scenes between Holt and Brennan as the latter follows him everywhere he goes making it harder for him to pass information on to his contact man without giving them both away. Look out for Dora Bryan here in an amusing small part as a nosy neighbour who inadvertently gives him away out in a busy London street when she is out shopping with his on screen wife Joan (Sonia Holm).

boblipton Patrick Holt robs a jewelry store. He is quickly caught and sentenced to prison. He escapes with his cellmate and they make their way to London's docklands, where they join Robert Ayre's gang. Henchman Michael Brennan suspects him, but Ayre's girlfriend, Sandra Dorne, decides she likes Holt. It turns out Mack is right; Holt is an undercover copper, out to infiltrate and break up the gang.It's a taut little second feature as Holt tries to do his job while Brennan slowly finds grounds for his suspicions, with some nice interludes with Sonia Holm (Holt's real wife at the time) and Dora Bryan as a gossipy neighbor. It's got some beautiful photography, shot by producer-cinematographer Monty Berman. He and co-producer Robert Baker would later strike gold with the TV series THE SAINT.

malcolmgsw This is that old chestnut of the police officer supposedly committing a crime so that he can be sent to prison in order to associate with the right kind of person.Mind you it is stretching things a bit that he would go into a jewelers waiving a gun about.Nowadays they are regarded as agents provocateurs and end up getting sued.I agree with the previous reviewer about the sights of London in 1951'I actually remember and there were lots of bomb sites all over the place particularly in the East End.Prudential worked in a partly bombed building.There are just so many actors and situations.However Dora Bryan stands out as a nosy neighborly.

ianlouisiana even pretend Yanks like Michael Balfour who in "13 East St" can't seem to make up his mind what side of the Atlantic his bread is buttered on. Robert Ayres was never off the TV in the early 50s,as a P.I. or a cop on loan to Scotland Yard,but this time his is an American deserter running a dodgy transport company employing ex - cons that is infiltrated by an undercover cop who has proved his credentials the hard way by doing an armed robbery and going down for it. Banged up with Mr Balfour he easily impresses his cellmate and during a convenient "ghosting" to another prison the pair escape and join Ayres's little "firm". Despite the distractions of a moll (Miss S Dorne,suitably diverting) and a not very bright ex - con who will recognise him at any minute,our hero succeeds in eventually bringing the gang to justice. This was 1951(the G.R. on the police van gives it away as pre - 1952) the year of the Festival of Britain,the RFH and the South Bank. Nobody thought of undercover copper as Agents Provocateurs misleading the vulnerable and they just got on with it. Read "Ghost Squad" by John Gosling or anything about Chief Inspector Bob Fabian to get a taste if the times. These were tough men doing tough jobs and "13 East St" is a tough film for its era when being non - judgmental was for wimps. It has echoes of the much better - known " The Blue Lamp" with its landscapes of bombsites and run - down apartment blocks. Crisply shot in black and white with the requisite cast of cockney characters,it is very much a portrait of English society still recovering from a world war and an age of real austerity when "cutting down" didn't mean getting rid of one of your cars.