The Sinister Man

1961 British film by Clive Donner

December 1961 (1961-12)

Running time

58 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

The Sinister Man is a 1961 British crime drama film directed by Clive Donner and starring Patrick Allen and John Bentley.^[1]^[2] It was one of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries, British second-features, produced at Merton Park Studios in the 1960s.^[3]

Plot

The body of an Oxford professor is found floating in the river Thames. He had previously been studying an archeological artefact known as the Kytang Wafers, and this is now missing. Scotland Yard investigates. The wafers are bits of ancient text that could alter the relations between Red China and a Tibetan type nation called "Kytang". An autopsy reveals that the professor was murdered by a karate blow.

Cast

John Bentley as Superintendent Wills
Patrick Allen as Dr. Nelson Pollard
Gerald Anderson as Major Paul Amery
Edward Atienza as Clerk
Wilfrid Brambell as lock-keeper
Yvonne Buckingham as Miss Russell
Michael Deacon as Angus
Jacqueline Ellis as Elsa Marlowe
Keith Faulkner as Lock keeper's assistant
William Gaunt as Mitch Hallam
John Glyn-Jones as Dr. Maurice Tarn
Peter Hager as warden
John Horsley as pathologist
Burt Kwouk as Captain Feng
Arnold Lee as Soyok
Robert Lee as Nam Lee
Brian McDermott as Detective Sergeant Stillman
Don McKillop as reporter

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Hectic penny dreadful, without subtlety or surprise. Clive Donner's direction has intermittent punch, but the jaded format of these Edgar Wallace quickies is beginning to defeat any attempt at even the simplest kind of style."^[4]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Very tolerable minor thriller in the Edgar Wallace series: short, sharp and snappy."^[5]

MemorableTV.com described the film as "definitely one of the great Edgar Wallace entries with a fab cast that includes a pre-Steptoe Wilfred Brambell, Patrick Allen, William Gaunt and Burt Kwouk. John Bentley who took the lead as Superintendent Willis was a popular actor in the late fifties and early sixties but is all but forgotten these days."^[6]

Classic Movie Ramblings wrote "The Sinister Man isn’t exactly a good movie but it has plenty of energy and a few intriguingly odd moments. I found it to be strangely appealing."^[7]

Home media

The film is included in Volume 2 of The Edgar Wallace Mystery series, released on region 2 DVD by Network, in 2012.^[8]

References

^ "The Sinister Man". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
^ "The Sinister Man". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
^ "» EDGAR WALLACE AT MERTON PARK – by Tise Vahimagi".
^ "The Sinister Man". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 29 (336): 26. 1 January 1962 – via ProQuest.
^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 923. ISBN 0586088946.
^ Mem TV. "Edgar Wallace Mysteries: The Sinister Man (1961 Merton Park with John Bentley)".
^ "Classic Movie Ramblings: The Sinister Man (1961)". 25 May 2018.
^ "The Edgar Wallace Mysteries - Volume 2". www.dvdbeaver.com.

External links

The Sinister Man at AllMovie
The Sinister Man at IMDb
The Sinister Man at the TCM Movie Database
The Sinister Man then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets

Films directed by Clive Donner

The Secret Place (1957)
Heart of a Child (1958)
Marriage of Convenience (1960)
The Sinister Man (1961)
Some People (1962)
The Caretaker (1963)
Nothing But the Best (1964)
What's New Pussycat? (1965)
Luv (1967)
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967)
Alfred the Great (1969)
Vampira (1974)
Rogue Male (1976)
Spectre (1977)
The Three Hostages (1977)
The Thief of Baghdad (1978)
The Nude Bomb (1980)
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)
Oliver Twist (1982)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
To Catch a King (1984)
A Christmas Carol (1984)
Merlin and the Sword (1985)
Dead Man's Folly (1986)
Babes in Toyland (1986)
Stealing Heaven (1988)
Charlemagne, le prince à cheval (miniseries, 1993)

Edgar Wallace

Novels

The Four Just Men (1905)
Angel Esquire (1908)
The Council of Justice (1908)
Captain Tatham (1909)
The Duke in the Suburbs (1909)
The Nine Bears (1910)
Private Selby (1912)
The Fourth Plague (1913)
Grey Timothy (1913)
The River of Stars (1913)
The Man Who Bought London (1915)
The Melody of Death (1915)
A Debt Discharged (1916)
The Tomb of Ts'in (1916)
The Just Men of Cordova (1917)
The Secret House (1917)
The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1918)
Down Under Donovan (1918)
The Man Who Knew (1918)
Those Folk of Bulboro (1918)
The Green Rust (1919)
Kate Plus Ten (1919)
The Daffodil Mystery (1920)
Jack O'Judgment (1920)
The Book of All Power (1921)
The Law of the Four Just Men (1921)
The Angel of Terror (1922)
The Crimson Circle (1922)
The Flying Fifty-Five (1922)
Mr. Justice Maxell (1922)
The Valley of Ghosts (1922)
The Clue of the New Pin (1923)
The Green Archer (1923)
The Missing Million (1923)
The Dark Eyes of London (1924)
Double Dan (1924)
The Face in the Night (1924)
Room 13 (1924)
The Sinister Man (1924)
The Three Oak Mystery (1924)
Blue Hand (1925)
The Fellowship of the Frog (1925)
The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder (1925)
The Strange Countess (1925)
The Three Just Men (1925)
The Avenger (1926)
Barbara on Her Own (1926)
The Black Abbot (1926)
The Northing Tramp (1926)
The Terrible People (1926)
The Yellow Snake (1926)
The Big Foot (1927)
Terror Keep (1927)
The Traitor's Gate (1927)
The Squeaker (1927)
The Forger (1927)
Again the Three (1928)
The Gunner (1928)
Four Square Jane (1929)
The Green Ribbon (1929)
The India-Rubber Men (1929)
The Calendar (1930)
The Clue of the Silver Key (1930)
The Lady of Ascot (1930)
The Man at the Carlton (1931)
The Guv'nor and Other Short Stories (1932)

Plays

An African Millionaire (1904)
M'Lady (1921)
Double Dan (1927)
The Terror (1927)
The Man Who Changed His Name (1928)
The Calendar (1929)
Persons Unknown (1929)
On the Spot (1930)
The Mouthpiece (1930)
Smoky Cell (1930)
The Old Man (1931)

Screenplays

The Valley of Ghosts (1928)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
King Kong (1933)

Adaptations

J. G. Reeder	Mr. Reeder in Room 13 (1938) The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939) The Missing People (1940) The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969, TV series)
The Four Just Men	The Four Just Men (1921) The Four Just Men (1939) The Four Just Men (1959, TV series)
Edgar Wallace Mysteries	Urge to Kill (1960) Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960) The Malpas Mystery (1960) Marriage of Convenience (1960) The Clue of the New Pin (1961) Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) The Fourth Square (1961) Man Detained (1961) Attempt to Kill (1961) Clue of the Silver Key (1961) Never Back Losers (1961) Partners in Crime (1961) The Sinister Man (1961) Time to Remember (1962) Playback (1962) Solo for Sparrow (1962) Locker Sixty-Nine (1962) Incident at Midnight (1963) Return to Sender (1963) Ricochet (1963) Accidental Death (1963) Five to One (1963) The Verdict (1964) We Shall See (1964) Act of Murder (1964) Change Partners (1965)
Rialto Films	Der Frosch mit der Maske (1959) The Crimson Circle (1960) The Avenger (1960) The Terrible People (1960) The Green Archer (1961) The Dead Eyes of London (1961) The Devil's Daffodil (1961) The Forger of London (1961) The Strange Countess (1961) The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962) The Door with Seven Locks (1962) The Inn on the River (1962) The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963) The Squeaker (1963) The Black Abbot (1963) The Indian Scarf (1963) Room 13 (1964) The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964) Der Hexer (1964) The Traitor's Gate (1964) Neues vom Hexer (1965) The Sinister Monk (1965) The Hunchback of Soho (1966) The Trygon Factor (1966) Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) The Monk with the Whip (1967) The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1968) Im Banne des Unheimlichen (1968) The Gorilla of Soho (1968) Double Face (1969) The Man with the Glass Eye (1969) The Body in the Thames (1971)
Other	The Man Who Bought London (1916) The Green Terror (1919) Pallard the Punter (1919) Angel Esquire (1919) Wanted at Headquarters (1920) The River of Stars (1921) The Crimson Circle (1922) Down Under Donovan (1922) Melody of Death (1922) The Diamond Man (1924) The Flying Fifty-Five (1924) The Green Archer (1925 serial) The Great Unknown (1927) The Terror (1928) Mark of the Frog (1928 serial) Chick (1928) The Forger (1928) The Terrible People (1928 serial) The Ringer (1928) The Man Who Changed His Name (1928) The Flying Squad (1929) The Crimson Circle (1929) The Clue of the New Pin (1929) Red Aces (1930) The Squeaker (1930) The Yellow Mask (1930) The Ringer (1931) To Oblige a Lady (1931) The Calendar (1931) The Old Man (1931) The Squeaker (1931) The Flying Squad (1932) The Frightened Lady (1932) The Ringer (1932) The Menace (1932) White Face (1932) Giallo (1933) The Jewel (1933) Before Dawn (1933) The Double (1934) Mystery Liner (1934) The Green Pack (1934) The Feathered Serpent (1934) The Lad (1935) Sanders of the River (1935) Born to Gamble (1935) Chick (1936) Educated Evans (1936) The Crimson Circle (1936) Prison Breaker (1936) Strangers on Honeymoon (1936) The Frog (1937) The Squeaker (1937) The Gaunt Stranger (1938) Dangerous to Know (1938) Kate Plus Ten (1938) Thank Evans (1938) The Terror (1938) The Return of the Frog (1938) Flying Fifty-Five (1939) The Dark Eyes of London (1939) The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940) The Door with Seven Locks (1940) The Flying Squad (1940) The Green Archer (1940 serial) The Missing Million (1942) The Calendar (1948) The Ringer (1952) The Avenger (1960) Death Drums Along the River (1963) Coast of Skeletons (1964) Circus of Fear (1966) Five Golden Dragons (1967) The Devil Came from Akasava (1970) The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
Television	Educated Evans (1957–58) The Mixer (1992)