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Poster for Hell Is a City

Hell Is a City

1960 · 98 min

A gritty, black-and-white police hunt through rain-slick northern streets, tense and dogged, with a weary inspector at its centre.

Directed by
Val Guest
Genres
Thriller, Crime
Starring
Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence
Tagline
Murder money stained his hands....
Overview
Set in Manchester, heartland of England's industrial north, Don Starling escapes from jail becoming England's most wanted man. Ruthless villain Starling together with his cronies engineered a robbery that resulted in the violent death of a young girl. Detective Inspector Martineau has been assigned to hunt him down and bring him in. From seedy barrooms, through gambling dens the trail leads to an explosive climax high on the rooftops of the city.

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Stream in the UK
  • Channel 4 Plus
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Val Guest
Genres
Thriller, Crime
Starring
Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • crime
  • justice
  • obsession
  • betrayal
  • isolation
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • procedural
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror2
Humour2
Realism8
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Channel 4 Plus
Rent
  • Amazon Video
  • BFI Player
Buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, crime
Directed by
Val Guest
Written by
Val Guest
Starring
Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence, Maxine Audley, Billie Whitelaw, Joseph Tomelty, George A. Cooper, Vanda Godsell
Music
Stanley Black
Cinematography
Arthur Grant
Runtime
98 min
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
English

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