Checkpoint (1956)

53% User Rating

1h 24min

Stanley Baker's O'Donovan is sent to steal the plans of a rival company's racing car designs, to ensure his employers win the competition. However, when opening a safe containing the plans, he triggers an alarm leading to a gun battle where he kills a number of people. James Robertson Justice, alarmed by the scandal surrounding the killings, orders his agent be killed surreptitiously to hide his involvement with the plot. The film uses original footage from the Mille Miglia , an Italian open-road endurance race, featuring classic period racing cars.

Ralph ThomasDirector

Cast

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Anthony Steel

Bill Fraser

Odile Versois

Francesca

Stanley Baker

O'Donovan

James Robertson Justice

Warren Ingram

Maurice Denham

Ted Thornhill

Michael Medwin

Ginger

Paul Müller

Petersen

Lee Patterson

Johnny Carpenter

Anne Heywood

Gabriela

Anthony Oliver

Michael

Philip Gilbert

Eddie

MacDonald Hobley

Commentator

Robert Rietti

Frontier Guard

Andreas Malandrinos

Night Watchman

Dino Galvani

Hotel Hall Porter

Jill Dixon

Stewardess

Harold Ayer

Plane Passenger

Bert Simms

Newspaper Salesman (uncredited)

Reviews (1)

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CinemaSerf

Rating 50%

March 28, 2022

This is a great opportunity for car lovers to watch some beauties meandering the roads of Locarno, Florence and the Northern Italian lakes using some stunning actuality footage from the Mille Miglia. Aside from that, its a rather far-fetched crime caper that sees Stanley Baker sent to an Italian car designer to try and persuade him to come and work for James Robertson Justice's British outfit. It all goes murderously wrong, and a convoluted scheme has to be devised to get him back home involving "Bill" (Anthony Steel), butch drunkard "Johnny" (Lee Patterson) and the rather glamorous "Francesca" (Odile Versois). It's probably more notable for being one of the few roles with JRJ appearing as a baddie, but Baker is his usually hammy self and the dialogue lurches along towards a really rather predictable, if good to watch, ending. One for car enthusiasts only sorry...