Product Details

• Actors: Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence, Maxine Audley, Billie Whitelaw
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• VHS Release Date: November 23, 1999
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00001XT7A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #704,974 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lost gem unearthed, December 6, 2002

By 

Dennis Murray (Vernon, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell is a City (DVD)

"Hell Is A City" is a little-known Hammer film that garnered some of the company's best reviews at the time of its release in 1960. It was nominated for two British Academy Awards, for Best Screenplay (Val Guest) and Best Actor (Stanley Baker). The DVD from Anchor Bay is a beautiful black-and-white transfer, with crisp, sharp images. The cast is superb, and the pacing is excellent. Donald Pleasance (Halloween, Escape from New York) has a small role as a bank president who finds a little surprise in his attic.
The film comes with an alternate, "happier" ending that didn't sit well with writer/director Guest. However, I believe it's the first Hammer film released on VHS or DVD that comes with a second ending. If you're a Hammer fan, or a fan of film noir, you'll want "Hell Is A City" in your library...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hell Is A City, I was there!, August 30, 2004

By 

George N. Nixon (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hell is a City (DVD)

I watched a part of this movie being filmed, as a child in Manchester, in 1959. The scene was filmed in a district called Levenshulme, and concerned the Donald Pleasance & Billie Whitelaw characters. Donald Pleasance plays the part of a "bookmaker", who in England is a person who takes bets on horse racing & other sports. At the time of its release I thought it to be a pretty exciting movie. I still think that it is one of the best of its type, and it captures the Manchester of that time very well. Still can't think why they used John Crawford as the villain! There is no explanation as to why he speaks with an " American" accent, if he is supposed to be a childhood aquaintance of the Stanley Baker character. Baker does a passable Northern accent! The film is fairly true to the book from which it was made, although the mute girl "Silver" dies in the book. I have a Levenshulme website, which has a page dedicated to Hell Is A City. It can be found at http://www3.telus.net/public/nixonkg

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars British Cops and Robbbers Noir, December 16, 2002

By 

"whitetrashmutant" (Clayton, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell is a City (DVD)

Hell is a City is a pretty good crime flick. Even though it is formulaic (cop vs. robber, heist, manhunt) the performances, setting and direction make it an interesting film for folks who like this kind of stuff.