The Informers

Nigel Patrick - Chief Insp. Johnnoe
Katherine Woodville - Mary Johnnoe
Colin Blakely - Charlie Ruskin
Derren Nesbitt - Bertie Hoyle
Harry Andrews - Supt. Bestwick
Michael Coles - Ben
John Cowley - Jim Ruskin
Allan Cuthbertson - Smythe
Frank Finlay - Leon Sale
Ronald Hines - Lewis
Roy Kinnear - Shorty
Peter Prowse - Lonergan
George Sewell - Hill

The Informers is an archetypal police procedural crime drama from director Ken Annakin and based on the novel Death of a Snout by Douglas Warner. The urbane Nigel Patrick appears somewhat miscast as the gritty police Inspector but there’s great support from Derren Nesbitt as the criminal mastermind, and particularly Frank Finlay in one of his finest performances as Nesbitt’s wise accomplice.

Scotland Yard Supt Bestwick (Harry Andrews) decrees that his officers should adopt new scientific police methods and consequently Chief Insp Johnoe (Nigel Patrick) is ordered to break contact with his network of snouts. However, when his best informant
Jim Ruskin is murdered whilst on the trail of a London gang responsible for a series of spectacular hank robberies Johnoe ignores his orders.

Inspector Johnoe then follows up on information left to him by Jim and finds that it leads to two mobsters; namely the recently released from prison Bertie Hoyle (Derren Nesbitt) and his wily cohort Leon Sale (Frank Finlay). Realising that he is going to need help Johnoe tries to get Jim's brother Charlie (Colin Blakely), an ex-jailbird, interested but he refuses so the Inspector goes it alone. When Hoyle’s attempt to buy off Inspector Johnoe fails the criminals frame him up by staging a photo scene involving Hoyle’s moll, meanwhile Sale breaks into the Inspector’s house and to plant stolen money in the loft. The crooks anonymously send the evidence to Scotland Yard and Johnoe is duly suspended from the force and later released from jail on bail. Meanwhile, Johnoe’s wife, Mary (Katherine Woodville), calls on the Ruskins for help in bringing the criminals to justice.