cult film freak: SUSAN HAMPSHIRE IN 'THE VIOLENT ENEMY' STARRING TOM BELL

Written by James M. Tate / 10/02/2026 / No comments / british neo noir , don sharp , ed begley , ireland , sixties , susan hampshire , thriller , tom bell

SUSAN HAMPSHIRE IN 'THE VIOLENT ENEMY' STARRING TOM BELL

10/02/2026 | No comment

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY Year: 1967 Rating: **1/2

Before infamously heckling Prince Philip while seated next to very nervous future knighted actors, sharp-faced dark-horse Tom Bell would often play unpredictably argumentative henchmen of the crime boss... a kind of villain's villain... so in one of his few starring roles, he seems more befitting one of several edgy side-characters...

Who are actually Irish performers... the plot involving the IRA breaking Bell's former iconic patriot Sean Rogan from a British prison: returned to Ireland where most of the expository-plotline takes place within a tight-knit tavern...

Ed Begley, Tom Bell and Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

And where genre director Don Sharp clashes dark interiors against lovely natural landscapes with creative camera angles... yet befitting more of a taut political thriller that THE VIOLENT ENEMY aspires for: built right into the edgy (and somewhat misleading) title...

Featuring American actor Ed Begley, faking an Irish accent as capably as British-born Bell and perfect girl Susan Hampshire... so instantly smitten with our scowling anti-hero, she's merely pretty wallpaper within a slow-burn, preachy melodrama set around a factory bombing that turns into a last-minute heist — while never quite embracing any of those literally explosive anticipated elements.

Tom Bell in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Tom Bell and Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Tom Bell in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Tom Bell and Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Tom Bell and Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY with Michael Standing

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Michael Standing, Ed Begley and Tom Bell in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Tom Bell and Susan Hampshire in THE VIOLENT ENEMY

Share This Post :

Tags : british neo noir , don sharp , ed begley , ireland , sixties , susan hampshire , thriller , tom bell

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)ROBBERY 3)HELL IS A CITY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)HOT CARS 7)VIOLENT SATURDAY 8)THE BREAK 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)JUNGLE STREET 17)WHITE HEAT 18)FALLEN ANGEL 19)A PRIZE OF ARMS 20)THE BIG HEAT 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE MARKED ONES 23)THE DRIVER 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)JOURNEY INTO FEAR 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6)CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER