The good old murder mysteries with a knack for fast dialogues and fast plot are lost in the word wars than the actual discovery of the murderer. Here I was able to guess as Inspector Cockrill (Alastair Sim) but as him was not able to reason out or come about on how. This is a noir crime film and in an odd way is funny as well by the narration of Cockrill. His letter to the Scotland Yard is the investigation he led and some hapless smug of him costing a deadly loss of a life. But we do not take it seriously because it is not meant a tragic rather a crime thriller for entertainment. It is like watching Tom and Jerry cartoon beating the hell out of each other and we laugh at it. It is not a comedy but every instance of it is not real and we view it as a play. Hence the murder seems as a puzzle than sympathy.Everything happens in a hospital during the war time with V-1 guided missiles giving chilling silence to intrigue the fear in the existing tense scenario. The narrator Cockrill focuses on an operating room with Mr. Eden (Leo Genn), anesthetist Mr. Barney Barnes (Trevor Howard), Nurse Freddi Linley (Sally Gray), Nurse Esther Sanson (Rosamund John), Sister Marion Bates (Judy Campbell) and Nurse Woods (Megs Jenkins). Two will be dead and one of them is the murderer is the clue Cockrill provides. Later one patient in the operating theater dies which causes to rethink all the relationships, hates, unknown past and devious looks and envious eyes to figure out who could have been responsible for the event. Of course we would not get a hint of who did it because that would eliminate the film in fifteen minutes.
Every one talks in a hurry and gets a terse intelligent reply as a bouncing ball’s force on a wall. Eden is a charmer and smooth gentleman having a romance for Linley who is having problems with her fiancé Barnes. Sanson is recovering from a trauma happened a while ago while Woods is plainly rude. Bates is a strict invigilator of the hospital having enormous love for Eden. Thus the circle completes in this dubious people of rigorous hospital ordeal of saving lives and constantly denying sleep.
The beauty of black and white as it always has the skill of silhouetting the dark and bright drawings. The characters are well aware of their positions and that does not stop them from being sarcastic and solid in conveying their innocence to the necessary intruder Cockrill. Cockrill relishes this situation seeing this as a form of amusement. He instigates situations, pops up from bushes and reveals the tidbits clues. He delivers as though he has been practicing it daily in front of a mirror. While he is a clever observer and interpreter, his complacency in his job and the funny bone mixes to give a careless approach. He acknowledges it in letter with an addendum of slick slip on of his success over the case.
“Green for Danger” directed by Sidney Gilliat in my eyes is not a classic but a display of sharp acting and a screenplay clearer than a still water. It knows what it’s dealing with and has the actors to perform rightly just for the required amount. Once the killer is revealed we do not feel shocked because the number is minimal in guessing. The journey though is interesting and does not bore us. The old mystery film rarely carries emotion or drama since it is not the person who died is of importance but are the ones who are alive to create suspicion to keep us guessing till the end. We may have found the killer but the reasons are unjustly kept in dark. But we do not feel much cheated since the screenplay jumps under our nose and keeps us busy in these studious exchanges of words with little emotion.
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