A cinematic explosion of action, intrigue, and style that rivals many of the greatest French works of the late noir period, Sidney Hayers’ Payroll (US: I Promised to Pay) grabs hold of the viewer and never lets go. Michael Craig plays Johnny Mellors, boss of a gang of petty criminals plotting a robbery of a payroll van in Newcastle Upon Tyne with the help of an employee of the firm concerned, Dennis Pearson (William Lucas). With equal time spent on the planning and the aftermath of the heist, the film centers the perpetrators and their wives, including two distinct variations on the femme fatale theme, with little to no focus on the police investigation. Justice will be done, but not by the authorities. Hayers doesn’t shy away from intense violence, nor does he skimp on sets or locations: the story winds through households, warehouses, offices, bridges, forests, nightclubs, and beaches. Woefully underexposed to American noir fans, I Promised to Pay beautifully combines breakneck pacing, tense atmospherics, and a high-drama jazz score into one of the most entertaining noirs to come out of the UK.