Review for Bang! You're Dead

Once again Network and Studio Canal have come up trumps with this exceptional release. Not only is it a little-seen gem which must surely be due for re-discovery, it’s also an incredibly good transfer, albeit to DVD rather than Blu-Ray.

Despite proclaiming to be something of a British film fan, particularly of the post-war period running up to the late 1960’s, I have never seen this before. In fact, the title didn’t ring any bells though that may be because it is more often aired as the US titled ‘Game of Death’.


I have rarely seen a film that captures the atmosphere of post-war austerity quite so powerfully, made all the more potent for me as its setting is far from London.


It’s a gently paced film which is fairly brimming with tension and darkness, despite the relative calm everyday reality of life beyond the action.


It’s essentially the story of a man (British cinema stalwart Michael Medwin) accused of a murder that he didn’t commit. Protesting his innocence, the weight of evidence against him is completely damning. He has been fighting with the victim, he is found at the scene of the crime with the body and he is holding the murder weapon, a gun.


However, this isn’t one of those ‘untangle it backwards’ thrillers. The audience knows full well what has really happened. Two small boys are playing in a wood and their playground comprises abandoned military shelters and their toys and treasures are abandoned weapons and other discarded gems like a wind up record player with a single 78 disc.


Whilst one boy becomes almost mesmerised by the transporting nature of the American disc, the other is happy to play with the guns, making his way on to the road passing the woods as a ‘highwayman’. Unfortunately the gun is loaded and goes off, killing the cyclist.


What ensues is a tense social drama where the boy’s father, played convincingly by Jack Warner, with the help of a visiting detective, eventually realises that the accident was caused by his own son. All the adults in the film are too pre-occupied with work and survival to have noticed and if any blame is made at the end of the film it is only for the mess the war has left for their children.


The acting by the boys is incredibly good (especially Sean Barrett as Willy) and there is more than a whiff of ‘Whistle down the Wind’ to the story (including a scene with the boy rescuing a sack full of puppies about to be drowned by his father) and I would bet my bottom dollar that Director Bryan Forbes took a look at this before he made that some seven years later.


There are many period observations that are of historic interest – not least how many people were housed in temporary tin shelters as housing during the period, pending better housing being made available.


Despite its b-movie status, I think this may well enjoy a re-appraisal based on this excellent release. The film is an absolute treat and a must buy for anyone with an interest in this era of British cinema.