Brighton Rock poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Carol Marsh, Harcourt Williams ... see more see more... , Wylie Watson , Nigel Stock , Alan Wheatley , George Carney , Charles Goldner , Reginald Purdell , Norman Griffiths and Orch. , Constance Smith , Mary Stone

This unsparing, brutal look at the British criminal underbelly stars Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown, a pock-marked gang leader. While leading his men in a racetrack robbery, Pinkie kills a man. ... read more read more...He convinces pretty waitress Rose (Carol Marsh) to provide him with an alibi, promising to marry her in exchange. After the wedding, the sociopathic Pinkie conducts a slow and careful campaign to drive his young wife to suicide. A moody, well-acted film with a stunning performance by the 24-year-old Attenborough, Brighton Rock is notable for bringing a new vicious realism to British crime cinema. Adapted by Terrance Rattigan and Graham Greene, from Greene's novel, the screenplay is superlative. The grim realism and sordid subject matter of the film is striking, handled by twin filmmakers Roy and John Boulting, who use mood and dark, stark photography to convey an almost palpable sense of dread. The American distributor of Brighton Rock, smelling disaster with that ambivalent title, renamed the film Young Scarface, and while it was quite controversial in its day, the film can't quite recapture the impact it had upon its initial release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

86% liked it

2,044 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

15 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: John Boulting

Release Date: November 7, 1947

Invite friends to see

Get It:

Stats: 160 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Carol Marsh in Brighton Rock (1947) brighton rock brighton rock
Upload a Photo | View All Brighton Rock Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (160)

  • 76Majikat
    October 29, 2009
    76Majikat
    An enjoyable film, but the storyline is a little one-dimensional. I have to admit to loathing those weak women portrayed in these type of films, but is obviously a sign of it?s time. Enjoyed the ending.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    A great film but I?ve always had issues with the ending. I always thought we shouldn't have ever heard Pinkie in the voice recording booth but should have found out what he said at the end. Still, that aside, the film is fantastic as are the cast but its Attenborough who steals t... read morehe show as Pinkie, a villain who's up there with Al Capone, Jaws and Satan!
  • webalina
    August 8, 2009
    webalina
    Well-done Brit gangster flick in the style of Little Caesar and Public Enemy. Richard Attenborough is creepy as hell as the cold-blooded sociopath Pinky who lets a smitten waitress in on that he killed someone and then marries her so she can't rat on him. Attenborough will chill ... read moreyour spine with his performance -- brilliant move on his part to have his character NEVER blink -- and Hermione Baddeley is fun as the woman who was last with the man who is said to have committed suicide but she believes Pinky hit. This is my first Brit gangster film, and I'll have to seek out more them.
  • shauna1354
    February 6, 2008
    shauna1354
    Excellent British Gangster classic. Richard Attenborough gives a fantastically menacing performance as mob leader Pinkie Brown, Carol Marsh is also good as the very innocent and naive Rose. A dark, suspenseful gangster thriller with sharp and clever dialogue to top it all off. Br... read moreighton Rock is an underrated classic.
  • rubystevens
    November 12, 2007
    rubystevens
    awesome brit gangster classic with a great performance by a young richard attenborough as a chilly psychopath
  • SarahG1988
    August 15, 2007
    SarahG1988
    Pinkie Brown (Richard Attenborough) is a small town hoodlum who's gang run a protection racket based at Brighton race course. When Pinkie orders the murder of a rival, Fred (Alan Wheatley), the police believe it to be suicide. This doesn't convince Ida Arnold (Hermione Baddeley),... read more who was with Fred just before he died, and she sets out to find the truth. She comes across naive waitress Rose (Carol Marsh), who can prove that Fred was murdered. In an attempt to keep Rose quiet Pinkie marries her. But with his gang beginning to doubt his ability, and his rivals taking over his business, Pinkie starts to become more desperate and violent.

    This has to be one of the best British films ever. Has a very film noir feel to it as well. This contains a brilliant script, brilliant film-making and a very well paced story and one excellent performances by Dickie Attenborugh. I don't think I've ever seen him quite like this .

    Brighton is obviosuly known as a seaside resort town and entertainment and pier, we see a very dark and disturbing side to this relaxed holiday town. There is a sinister feel throughout the film and is shot and edited very very well. However it is very difficult to understand the dialogue at times.

    Overall a highly recomendable film to all.
  • gator681
    September 1, 2009
    gator681
    "Brighton Rock" starts with gangster Pinkie Brown(Richard Attenborough) hearing that Fred Hale(Alan Wheatley), a reporter responsible for outing a member of his gang and therefore getting him killed, is back in town. Pinkie and his guys corner him in a bar which leads to a chase... read more through Brighton, eventually leading to the pier where Fred attaches himself to Ida(Hermione Baddeley), a boozy chanteuse, for safety. But in the time he loses her, Pinkie finds him and finishes the job. Even though the police do not suspect foul play, Pinkie cannot rest easily, making the acquaintance of Rose(Carol Marsh), a young waitress, to perfect the alibi.

    "Brighton Rock" is an atmospheric thriller that is helped by a superb performance from Richard Attenborough as a gangster struggling to hold onto his turf between the wars. As the opening statement says, this was a period of high crime in Brighton that existed until the police stepped in. And as one policeman tells Pinkie, he does not care that the criminals kill each other but will intervene when innocent bystanders are threatened. As one, Rose is rather naive but she is only seventeen, about the same age of Pinkie, and has little knowledge of the way the world works. In contrast, Ida is older and wiser and cannot be easily fooled, running her own investigation. So, in the end, crime goes down once the citizens take control of the city, making Brighton a safer, if more boring city.
  • lesleyanorton
    July 17, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    The classic Brighton film. Attenborough as a chubby faced thug.
  • littlecharmer1959
    September 11, 2009
    littlecharmer1959
    An excellent Brit Noir, with an outstanding performance by Richard Attenborough as the ruthless young gangster "Pinkie".

View All Brighton Rock Reviews

Critic Reviews

Vadim Rizov
June 16, 2009
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice

A seedy noir, equal parts concealed-camera atmosphere and tense set pieces. Full Review

Variety Staff
November 20, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

This tends to prove that Britain can turn out a gangster picture as brutal as any Hollywood had devised. Full Review

Shaun Munro
February 28, 2011
Shaun Munro, What Culture

Brighton Rock is a classic example of filmmaking that remains hugely accessible despite its age... Full Review

Kent Turner
June 28, 2009
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

As brassy, boozy, and blonde entertainer Ida Arnold, [Hermione Baddeley] is a blast of smoky and stale music-hall air. Full Review

Keith Uhlich
June 17, 2009
Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

The future Lord Dickie's sinister stylings are what linger, especially the vitriolic audio recording he makes for his betrothed, done as if damnation were the most casual of enterprises. Full Review

June 17, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A brutal look at the British underworld -- as seen through the amoral eyes of teenaged thug Pinkie Brown, played brilliantly by the 24 year-old Attenborough. Full Review

Chris Cabin
June 13, 2009
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com

nuanced and subtle Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
April 23, 2007
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

Attenborough's Pinky is ... one of the scariest noir villains of all time. Full Review

Ian Nathan
December 30, 2006
Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine

Director John Boulting brings the fabled Greeneland, that vile landscape ripened on sin and betrayal at the black heart of all his novels, to sensuous life. Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Brighton Rock takes the US noir thriller formula and blends it with a striking vision of the British seaside town in the 1930s. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Brighton Rock
    Brighton Rock (100%)
  • Night and the City
    Night and the City (0%)
  • They Made Me a Fugitive (I Became a Criminal)
    They Made Me a Fugitive (I Became a Criminal) (0%)
  • The Public Enemy
    The Public Enemy (0%)

More Movies like Brighton Rock

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Brighton Rock : Watch Free on TV

Brighton Rock Trivia

  • Who played Pinkie in the movie of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock?  Answer »
More Brighton Rock Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Brighton Rock. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Brighton Rock to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Brighton Rock News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?