ianlouisiana ...coupled with splendid performances from Mr K.Grifith and Mr T.Bell take attention away from an appallingly miscast lead and the somewhat clichéd storyline. This is 1961.The head villain has a Hillman Minx. He is posh. But ruthless mind you. He plans a Wages Robbery(the crime du jour in 1961)but it all goes pear - shaped when a guard is shot and all the robbers face being hanged,that being the penalty for "murder in the furtherance of theft" at that time. The gang falls out,unsurprisingly. Mr K.Griffith dies miserably in a dark alley.(ditto). Just previously he has been thrown out of a pub after being involved in a brawl that is brilliantly realistic in that it is brief and all the offenders are ejected rather brutally by the regulars. That's how it was in 1961 - nobody is shot or glassed,no acid is thrown,just a few dozen punches. The femme fatale(French,bien sur)double crosses the gang leader and is in turn double - crossed. When the police rather belatedly arrive they are wearing trench macs and Homburgs.Surely time was about to be called on such attire. Vastly - experienced director Mr S Hayers does miracles with such potentially slim pickings. When people started to get paid by cheque the whole Wages Blag industry was re - invented as Having One Across The Pavement and cash deliveries to banks became the target. Eventually the Old Bill got fed up and started shooting a few Faces and low - risk crimes like drugs began to proliferate. "Payroll" is a film that - in effect - records the beginning of the end for little Firms who would do "one big job" and the beginning of the Big Firms who were run by men with plans. Personally I suspect all the gang shown in this film would be quickly shown the door by dear old Reg and Ron.

GUENOT PHILIPPE I agree that this story is not so unusual. Robbery, revenge...But the acting, directing and everything in this crime drama are outstanding. You are glued to this film, and the armored truck robbery is one of the most impressive, brutal, among all those I have ever seen; let me tell you that I am a heist movie specialist, and not only the greatest ones, even the most underrated from all over the world are in my huge collection. This attack sequence is very brutal, especially for this period. This crime flick is typical from those late fifties and early sixties movies from UK. See for instance the grade B features made by Danzingers or Butchers Productions; with nearly always those likes of William Lukas in most of them, the equivalent, for those years, of today Ray Winstone or Bill Murray - not the American one. The Butchers or Danzingers Brothers studios gave us such items, but with a length time much shorter. One of the best gangsters movies from UK ever made, for this time, and even of all time. But unfortunately not the best known, and that makes no difference for me.

ackstasis Every so often an unknown film comes along to sweep you off your feet. I absolutely loved 'Payroll (1961)'; I found it gripping and thrilling and everything that a good noir should be. I've always been particularly impressed with British takes on the style ('Brighton Rock (1947)'; 'Odd Man Out (1947)'; 'Night and the City (1950)'), perhaps due to the frequent use of on-location photography, which gives the story a refreshingly gritty edge. Sidney Hayers' 'Payroll' was shot on the blustery streets of Newcastle. Johnny Mellors (Michael Craig) heads a ragtag group of criminals intent on hijacking the wage delivery of a local factory, contained within the walls of a seemingly impenetrable armoured truck. Their approach isn't exactly subtle – a far cry from the breathless heists of 'The Asphalt Jungle (1950)' and 'Rififi (1955)' – but is nevertheless effective.Post-robbery, with the heat of law enforcement on their backs, the crooks begin to turn on each other, their best-laid plans delicately curling into ashes. While the police scramble about for leads, Jackie Parker (Billie Whitelaw)– the wife of a man killed during the heist – decides to take matters into her own hands. The film thankfully doesn't overplay this angle (which always has the potential to become an outing with Miss Marple), but there's one adroit scene where, strolling past the home of one of the heist participants, Jackie suddenly puts all the pieces together: a man drops a wife home, followed shortly thereafter by another man… the husband. With its gritty, unsympathetic realism, and a flair for taut, fatalistic storytelling, 'Payroll' deserves a far wider audience, and certainly ranks up there with the best of British film noir.

highrickman 'Payroll' is astonishingly good and deserves a DVD release asap! Even though this movie is over forty years old there are still some super tension mounting scenes which had me on the edge of my seat! The ever reliable Michael Craig was particularly convincing, and well supported by the equally impressive Billie Whitelaw. William Lucas over-acted like mad in the scene where he breaks down, but other than that he was in fine form. The b/w film complimented the tale and made the seedier elements even more gripping and believable. I've seen this movie on auction sites a few times and it always attracts a number of bidders. In my opinion its a British gem!