Bellman And True [DVD]

I've not seen Bellman and True since seeing it broadcast in the 1980s; it's a forgotten and overlooked classic.For those unfamiliar with the plot, it is basically the story of a computer expert who, via the kidnap of his son, is blackmailed into helping a gang of villains overcome a sophisticated bank security system. Bearing in mind that it's now over twenty years old, it's still a very worthy film - the acting and direction is good, with Bernard Hill playing the lead.There are a couple of negative points to be mentioned here. Firstly, the sound and transfer quality isn't great on this version - a fact that of course becomes all the more obvious if you are watching it on any relatively up to date kit. Depending upon how you look at it, and I'm inclined to be generous here, that does kind of add to the period feel.However, I'm less able to live with the fact that, for whatever reason, it has been heavily edited from the broadcast version - and the chopping hasn't been done with any great subtlety. It's not easy be specific without giving too much away, suffice it to say that one vital scene towards the end of the film particularly looses tension as a result of the editing.That said, this is a budget release of a largely forgotten work so I suspect that there's never going to be the demand for a remastered version - you have to accept a few compromises at this sort of price. On the grounds that I'm pleased to see this available at all, it gets three stars.

Bellman & True is a rather wonderful British gangster classic. Though, because of the march of technology, the 'computer hacking' seems laughably old fashioned. Nonetheless it's well worth watching, and Bernard Hill is, as always, excellent.

Average heist/drama flick. The kid is annoying. Overall bad acting. Low re-watch value. Unnecessary added love story.

Better than average fare

A nice little yarn, I saw this at the cinema when the fire alarm went off, and I never got back in to see it.

This was an excellent film when first shown and it's still great.I remember seeing it in the cinema and later on on TV, the TV version had a few extra scenes (it was a two-parter). This is the Cinema feature version.Loved watching it again recently.

A good action film, with a great cast, and action shots. The dvd arrived in good condition and i have enjoyed watching the film. Thanks.

Great film, and excellent, prompt service