Checkpoint [Import anglais]

As with all Stanley Baker films it does what it says on the tinVery watchable, some shot inside theDavid Brown Aston Martin works, who's cars featured heavilyCentred around Italian road race with good action shots

The action of the film takes place on an Italian road race and, no doubt, racing buffs would have had a good time revving up over the images. However, the tension is not built up by the race, very little of it shown actually,but whether or not O'Donovan (Stanley Baker) can get out of Italy with plans stolen from a rival racing car operation. Warren Ingram (James Robertson Justice) thinks that these plans would help him win the race via the less attractive means of industrial espionage during which the rival's factory is blown up and O'Donovan was involved in the shoot out with security operatives, five of whom were killed.Ingram has to get O'Donovan out of Italy which involved putting O'Donovan as the second driver in the car driven by Anthony Steel's character. There are checkpoints all the way along the circuit to enable the drivers to check on their progress and also to fuel up. Steel has his own car which he hopes to develop with Ingram. Ingram's desperation to win the race has involved him in nefarious crookery and getting involved with very iffy associates but, basically, this is not his real persona and regrets the whole operation.Held at gunpoint, Steel has to succumb to the force in his car with O'Donovan being the cuckoo in the nest. That, basically is the plot set-up which was promising but unfortunately did not deliver on the suspense front. If more of the actual race had been included with its inherent tensions and the excitement of speed on the hills and mountains, maybe it could have been improved. It was entertaining but, perhaps, Steel and Baker could have swapped roles as Steel did not make it as someone who could have fought the Baker character ; O'Donovan was the more believable role as he seemed to be naturally more threatening and built that way, shown to great effect in his future films like 'The Criminal'.

"Checkpoint", another very welcome DVD release of a vintage British title, is an entertaining thriller with a motor racing background which has an excellent cast of familiar faces. James Robertson Justice is good but cast completely against type. I was interested to see Lee Patterson, the appealing hero of many 'B' thrillers of the period as one of the drivers. Odile Versois was the leading lady of several British films of this era and now, sadly, it's rather hard to see why as she has a rather bland personality and only average looks.It's filmed in Eastman Colour, a system not quite as vivid as Technicolor, but the views of Italy are still excellent. The interior of Odile Versois' apartment is gloriously 1950's modern and would look good in any retro or vintage store today!The plot has relatively few surprises, but is well enough done and the short running time suits it. I thought the ending was actually rather sudden and it looked as though there could have been another scene after it, to round it off!Again, this is well worth a look - it's so good that these more unusual vintage British movies are making it to DVD - as another reviewer has said, let them keep on coming! Michael Craig's "House of Secrets" made the same year as this, would be great!!

Ok, I was born in the 70s so this is way before my time as such but once you've got past the acting style of the times (still better than anything you'll see in Emmerdale) it's not actually a bad film in itself. If you're here for the cars though it also doesn't disappoint. Wish I'd be born decades earlier tbh when men literally were men and racing was dangerous. Nowadays Lewis Hamilton rides around the paddock on a scooter wearing a clown outfit.Can't say I'll be watching it over and over but it was certainly worth a watch for the price of less than 2 coffees.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in the glory days of sports car racing must watch this. Like so many car racing movies this one has a rather limp plot but filmed against the backdrop of an actual Mille Miglia and featuring lightly disgused Lagonda V12s leant by David Brown it is in its own way compelling. Another bonus is the presence of Stanley Baker and James Robertson Justice as the hard bitten driven-to-win at all costs team boss.

I'd been trying to find the title for this movie for years!! I saw a few minutes of it on TV ages ago but didn't note the title. Found it on Amazon whilst looking at other old movies, when I did I actually exclaimed out loud! The principal interest for me is the cars and the Mille Miglia setting, really fantastic stuff! The story line is typical for the era, skullduggery, intrigue, greed, ruthlessness and romance, so nothing new there then. Stanley Baker makes it though, he has the knack of being a convincing baddy or goody depending on the role. Conversion quality is ok but not the best, although it's still very watchable. Good movie generally but excellent for the old car racing enthusiast.

Don't believe those reviews which claim that the transfer of this movie onto disc is very good - they're wrong!This is a very poor transfer - what I call 'Very good VHS'[!] - which in no way does justice to the film itself [which is very good].Lots of horrid edge-enhancement is present on this disc, which makes the weird EastmanColor stock on which the movie was shot, look ugly in the extreme.A real shame, because this is a fine film that deserves better.It's clear that Strawberry Media [who?] did the bare minimum in terms of authoring for this disc [ same as their release of 'Violent Playground']- which is a real shame.Keep your fingers crossed for a BluRay release. [ Chances of this happening, though, are very slim...]

Great '50's era industrial espionage caper with a motor racing background (the Mille Miglia round-Italy sports car race). Anthony Steel does the handsome hero thing with aplomb but it is scenery-chewing Stanley Baker as the villain of the piece who steals the show.