One Jump Ahead (film)

Plot

Reporter Paul Banner, a Canadian "noozeman", works at the Daily Comet in England. When a young boy witnesses a murder, the killer mistakenly tracks down the boy's friend and kills who he thinks is the only witness to the crime. Banner becomes interested in the murders but complications arise when Judy (Jill Adams), his ex-love becomes involved.

Banner sets out to find the killer, and has the help of Maxine (Diane Hart), another reporter who vies for his attention. Together, they ferret out who the mystery killer is, keeping "one jump ahead" of the police.

Production

Director Charles Saunders also made Behind the Headlines (1956), the second of three crime thrillers based on the works of American novelist Robert Chapman. In 1958, he also directed Murder Reported. All three films had many similarities; the stories all revolved around a news reporter investigating a murder, each lead role played by Paul Carpenter, with different supporting casts. Saunders specialized in the B movie at the Kenilworth Films Production house which turned out 11 mainly crime thrillers between 1948 and 1956.

Critical reception

TV Guide gave One Jump Ahead two out of five stars and wrote, "... occasionally witty dialog enhances this B-bracket programmer." In a recent review, SkyChannel TV noted, "Not at all bad for a British co-feature of its time, with some good crackles of humour in the dialogue and a lively tempo. Ex-boxing champion Freddie Mills appears in one of several roles he played in British films of the 50s."