Clash by Night – 1963 | 75 mins | Drama, Thriller | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Excellent British co-feature that develops briskly and is slightly longer than usual for this sort of film. Despite its length, Montgomery Tully’s crime drama is well adapted from Rupert Croft-Cooke’s novel and contains fine characterizations from a strong cast including chirpy cockney Harry Fowler with his best role in years, Terence Longdon as his companion and fellow trapped jailbird, and John Arnatt in his familiar guise of police inspector.

Ernie Peel (Arthur Lovegrove) is a prison bus driver bribed to take a detour en-route to jail so as to enable a gang of crooks to free their boss Bart Rennison (Tom Bowman). Also onboard the bus leaving the court are Martin Lord (Terence Longdon); a loving husband who accidentally killed a man attacking his wife, Cockney petty thief Doug Roberts (Harry Fowler), Sydney Selwyn (Mark Dignam); a bible-bashing missionary charge with sex offences, Major Ronald Grey-Simmons (Alan Wheatley), an embezzling ex-army officer and mentally disturbed murderer Victor Lush (Peter Sallis).

The bus is hijacked and driven to an isolated barn; whilst Rennison makes his getaway the remaining prisoners and guards are locked in the farm building and told to remain there until the morning. To further deter them, the barn is doused in paraffin and two crooks threaten to set the thatched roof alight if those inside don’t obey orders. To make matters worse it’s the 5th of November and fireworks are going off all around the doused barn.

When the escaping Rennison and his accomplice fail to stop at the scene of an accident, a police motorcyclist goes in pursuit which results in the crooks overturning their car and killing Rennison. When news of the accident reaches CID the police realise the prison bus is missing. Lord lives nearby and has some knowledge of the area, he is also aware the many barns have a small trapdoor enabling dogs to enter and exit. Lord joins up with his new found friend Doug Roberts, and together they slip away into the night unseen and pay a visit on Lord’s wife, Nita (Jennifer Jayne), at their nearby farm. After a brief while with his wife and Doug contemplating going on the run, both decide to return to the barn and rescue the others.