Payroll – 1961 | 94 mins | Crime, Thriller | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Brisk crime drama based on the novel by Derek Bickerton and directed by journeyman Sidney Hayers. The a solidly crafted crime story makes good use of its Gateshead and Newcastle locations whilst Michael Craig and Tom Bell are excellent in their portrayals of working class criminals and Billie Whitelaw is in particularly fine form as the vengeful widow.

Set on Tyneside, a gang of four crooks; the leader Johnny Mellors (Michael Craig), alcoholic Monty (Kenneth Griffith), bad-tempered Blackie (Tom Bell) and easy-going Bert (Barry Keegan), intend to rob a wages run until having to abort at the last minute when two police motorcycle appear. Their scheme suffers a further setback when their insider in the wages department of Neill’s motor works, cuckolded Dennis Pearson (William Lucas), announces that future wage deliveries will be made in an armoured van. But Johnny has spent too long planning the heist and intends to go ahead with the robbery despite the latest stumbling block.

Pearson steals the crooks a plan of the van’s intended route and Johnny puts into action a scheme to stop the armoured van;, jam its 2-way radio and open the rear doors with a ram attached to a lorry. On the day of the robbery plans appear to go awry when Bert’s lorry is held up on the Tyne Bridge, but they quickly turn around and race to catch up with the armoured van. The security van is driven by two family men, driver Harry (William Peacock) and in the rear his partner Frank (Glyn Houston). When the pair notice the lorry’s speedy pursuit they attempt to outrun it, but this only serves to speed their arrival at the pre-arranged roadblock awaiting them. The security van crashes into the rear of a stationary truck, killing Harry the driver on impact, Bert then proceeds to ram the rear of the van until the doors open. When they are prised open he quickly climbs out of his lorry to grab the loot but security guard Frank is waiting inside with a shotgun and fatally wounds him.

The three remaining crooks quickly load the loot and an injured Bert into their getaway Jaguar and make their way back to the hideout. Whilst they switch vehicles en-route – Bert passes away. Meanwhile, the police have the unpleasant duty of telling Jackie Parker (Billie Whitelaw) that her husband died during the robbery. The gang’s informant, Pearson, is shaken by the news of the driver’s death and begins to panic, a situation only exacerbated by the widow Jackie Parker’s campaign of anonymous letters and phone calls. Pearson’s calculating Austrian wife Katie (Françoise Prévost) contacts Johnny and confesses to being in a loveless marriage, and that for a share in the loot will throw her lot in with the crooks.

The crooks too begin to feel the heat and fight amongst themselves. Monty turns to drink and when his cohorts discover a confessional letter addressed to his solicitor – decide to silence him for good. They drive out to a deserted wood, but after a fight amongst themselves only Johnny departs alive. Now it’s left for Johnny and Kate to make their escape but Harry’s vengeful widow is on their trial and determined to avenge her husband’s death.