The Criminal (1960 film)


The Criminal is a 1960 British neo-noir crime film produced by Nat Cohen and directed by Joseph Losey, starring Stanley Baker, Sam Wanamaker, Grégoire Aslan, and Margit Saad. Alun Owen wrote the screenplay, from a story by an uncredited Jimmy Sangster.
Baker plays an ex-con who takes part in the robbery of a racetrack and is caught and sent back to prison. The film depicts a harsh and violent portrayal of prison life that led to the film being banned in several countries, including Finland.
It was released in the United States as The Concrete Jungle.

Cast

Joseph Losey said he was handed a ready-made script. "It was a concoction of all the prison films Hollywood ever made", he said. "Both Stanley Baker and I refused to work until they let us write our own script. Which is what we did." He says the producers wanted a sequence where the criminals rob a race track but he felt that had been done in The Killing so he filmed it taking place off screen.

Reception

According to Losey the film was a commercial success. He said the film was banned in Ireland because so many of the prisoners were Irish Catholics.
The film was reportedly very successful in Paris.