Tomorrow at Ten

Plot

A man calling himself Marlow kidnaps Jonathan Chester, the young son of wealthy industrialist Anthony Chester, and locks him in an abandoned house. He then goes to see the boy's father and announces that he will only reveal his whereabouts once he has been paid £50,000 (a large sum at the time) and is safely in Brazil. The boy's nanny alerts the police and Inspector Parnell arrives to discourage Chester from paying up lest it send out a signal to give in to blackmailers. Marlow then reveals that a bomb is in the house where Jonathan is kept and will go off at 10 a.m. the next day. This is too much for Chester who attacks Marlow, causing the crook serious injuries from which he later dies, leaving the police with little time or indication as to where to find Jonathan.

Cast

Critical reception

Tomorrow at Ten was selected by the film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane as one of the 15 most meritorious British B films made between World War II and 1970. While they praise the characterization, the performances, the production design, the cinematography and the screenplay, they say that "the film's real strength is in the direction of the veteran Lance Comfort in one of his last films".