Brighton Rock (1947)

This is the original which for me is noticeable for having William Hartnell. It always seems strange seeing him in any other way apart from the Doctor. Anyway this film sees Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown who is some of leader but to be honest doesnt make me believe that he could be a thug leader or that anyone in his team could take him seriously. In fact there are many times that he is mocked by the others and I thought that this undermined Attenborough's performance when it needed strengthening. I thought that there were some scenes that were very enjoyable and William Hartnell is a nice pice of casting. I thought that Attenborough was at his peak when Pinkie was with Rose. I thought that this doomed romance was very effective and it had a thrilling conclusion.

I thought the best piece of casting was Hermoine Baddeley  as Ida Arnold who is the one poking away at Pinkie and is the Jessica Fletcher of this film who puts things together and solves it but at the beginning when she comes across as a boozing mad woman and its credit to Baddeley who lures us into thinking one thing before turning the charm on and winning me over.
It's not a great movie if I am being honest. I thought that large chunks were very boring and it was the times when Attenborough, Hartnell and Baddeley that I found it entertaining. I dont know whether the 2010 version is better but I may watch it to compare.