The Good Die Young

Decent film with decent cast.

All four leads do a good job here, but the film largely belongs to Harvey who revels in playing this totally psychopathic man who leads the other three to death and ruin. It's not a great film ... it has clear budgetary issues and the pacing lags at times ... but it's a solidly entertaining little crime melodrama. The only serious misstep is casting Grahame as a British woman. Her accent is not good, especially amongst a crop of British actors.

Four strangers go rob a post office van. The first 2/3rd is used very well to build the backstory of these four and how they eventually meet. Which is a good humane depiction on the problems of returning soldiers adjusting again to civilian life and shows what drives "good" people to committing a crime. The last half hour is spent at the robbery and suspenseful escape self. Stanley Baker stands out as a retired boxing among the already very solid cast.

The first two-thirds are more melodrama than noir and it takes a long time for each of the four characters to be introduced. But once their stories are laid out and they begin hatching their plan it becomes a stylish, exciting thriller. Laurence Harvey is pretty cool as the amoral, manipulative aristocrat, but the stand-out performance goes to Stanley Baker as the hopeless, broken-down boxer. Could've done without the two Americans, really... they don't add much other than some iffy acting.