An exploding golliwog is only part of the unfolding drama of Lance Comfort’s tense 1965 thriller, filmed in black and white and featuring an unusual twist. Disgruntled employee Marlowe (Robert Shaw) masterminds the kidnapping of a well-heeled family’s child, and demands a ransom in return for information about where the boy is hidden. Marlowe has concealed an explosive device inside the boy’s golliwog, but his scheme unravels when Inspector Parnell (John Gregson)’s investigation gets out of hand. Small roles for Kenneth Cope and William Hartnell add to the intrigue, but good location work helps Comfort’s film dodge genre conventions to make its mark as an original thriller.
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