Yes, Sean Connery did have a cinematic life before 007. After "On The Fiddle," an Alfred Lynch comedy also made for Anglo-Amalgamated that year, Connery would soon appear as James Bond - which makes his role as a noble thug in "The Frightened City" all the more intriguing. Sporting a menacing attitude, Paddy Damion is also a ladies man, and a loyal pal who seeks revenge when his associate is threatened by Harry (a slithering Alfred Marks), the consortium's contemptuous figurehead, who follows the game plan set up by silent partner Waldo Zhernikov (Herbert Lom).

With a background primarily in TV, John Lemont efficiently directed the film's tight screenplay by Leigh Vance, a writer who would enjoy a lengthy career writing for TV's "The Saint," "Mission: Impossible" and "Mannix." The film's look is modest, and Anchor Bay's transfer is very clean, made from a nice print. The disc contains a straightforward English and French mono mix, and special credit is due to composer Norrie Paramor (song writer for "Expresso Bongo") who, with lyricist Bunny Lewis, wrote "Marvelous Lie" - a song that will take days to leave your poor little brain.

The included trailer is from the film's original U.S. distributor, Allied Artists, who adopted a classic marketing ploy normally reserved for foreign film exploitation by chopping down most dialogue bits so audiences would never know the film contains accents from the U.K until they bought the ticket - a marvelous example of how British films were sometimes treated in other lands.

A still gallery includes a decent array of photos, glamour poses, and two colour posters (one that's also reproduced on the inlay card).

© 2002 Mark R. Hasan