Green For Danger

Green For Danger
1946 - England
Directed By Sidney Gilliat



SYNOPSIS

An elderly postman (Moore Mariott) is injured in a German bombing in a rural English town. He's taken into surgery, where he unexpectedly dies. After one of the nurses from the surgery turns up dead, a inspector from Scotland Yard (Alastair Sim) declares they were both murdered... and one of the doctors or nurses was the killer. Now he must find out whodunit.



MY THOUGHTS

A little unassuming mystery that deserves more recognition.

Green For Danger has a subtle black humor that helps move the story along. It's a little darker than your average British mystery.
Much of the humor comes from Alastair Sim's inspector. He seems to relish pushing the buttons of the stiff, uptight doctors with a sense of whimsy. The rest of the performers come off a little dry.

Despite the humor, the film does drag in many spots. The script has little action and is very dialogue heavy.
The inspector doesn't show up until about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way in, leaving the bland characters to hold the story until his arrival. Apart from the bad surgery and the murder of the nurse, little happens in that time.
A 'love triangle' is introduced between 2 doctors and a nurse... but it isn't very well developed. It seems to merely exist as a possible reason for murder.
Once Sim first appears, the slow ball of a plot picks up some speed.

When the inspector reveals the murderer, it is someone I didn't really expect and there's a unique twist at the end. These keep the film above your average whodunit.
Green For Danger may start slow, but it's a rewarding trip when it reaches the end.