THE GOOD DIE YOUNG is a fine British crime film noir of the 1950s with an impressive British/American cast and an intriguing storyline. The narrative is carefully structured, beginning with an exciting interlude before telling four separate character stories in flashback. Eventually the viewer catches up with the present for a gripping climax.
The first thing you notice about this film is the exemplary cast. Laurence Harvey is perfectly cast as the despicable cad who gathers together a team of desperate men to pull of a post office robbery. Richard Basehart is the imported American player struggling to wrest control of his youthful wife Joan Collins from his sinister mother-in-law (Freda Jackson, who with this and THE BRIDES OF Dracula had a fine role in domineering older women). John Ireland and Gloria Grahame have a convincingly volatile relationship.
Best of the bunch is a thoroughly sympathetic Stanley Baker playing a down-on-his-luck boxer going through some very tough times. The underrated Baker is a delight in the part and steals his scenes, even from Harvey. The likes of Robert Morley and Lee Patterson provide solid support. The lengthy flashback scenes are engaging pieces of character work, true to life and authentic, and they serve as a good set-up for the electrifying climax where things don't go according to plan. The last twenty minutes of this film are impressively downbeat and nail-biting to boot. Great stuff.
The first thing you notice about this film is the exemplary cast. Laurence Harvey is perfectly cast as the despicable cad who gathers together a team of desperate men to pull of a post office robbery. Richard Basehart is the imported American player struggling to wrest control of his youthful wife Joan Collins from his sinister mother-in-law (Freda Jackson, who with this and THE BRIDES OF Dracula had a fine role in domineering older women). John Ireland and Gloria Grahame have a convincingly volatile relationship.
Best of the bunch is a thoroughly sympathetic Stanley Baker playing a down-on-his-luck boxer going through some very tough times. The underrated Baker is a delight in the part and steals his scenes, even from Harvey. The likes of Robert Morley and Lee Patterson provide solid support. The lengthy flashback scenes are engaging pieces of character work, true to life and authentic, and they serve as a good set-up for the electrifying climax where things don't go according to plan. The last twenty minutes of this film are impressively downbeat and nail-biting to boot. Great stuff.