West 11

In no way is Michael Winner’s West 11 a traditional film noir. In fact, fans of the style may be disappointed if they go in expecting the plotting and pacing of the cycle’s most popular films. Instead, Winner has directed a study of a time (early 1960’s), a place (London’s Notting Hill), and a character named Joe Beckett (Alfred Lynch), an unmoored loser who’s given up on his search to find his life’s meaning amidst the massive, cultural dislocations of the era (specifically, Winner lingers on a political rally opposing the influx of “foreigners” to the beloved neighborhood, an unmistakable reference to the Notting Hill race riots which had occurred a few years earlier). While dealing with his own stubborn nihilism, Joe finds himself being stalked and studied by a mysterious former military officer named Richard Dyce (Eric Portman) who eventually reveals his purpose: he wants to hire Joe to murder his wealthy aunt. While the crime plot takes up a small portion of the film, Joe’s increasing desperation as he deals with eviction, a breakup with his girlfriend (Kathleen Breck), and the death of his mother, is what leads him to the outer limits of his morality (“Crime can be a way of feeling something”). Diana Dors plays Joe’s old friend and occasional lover, embittered by experience (“I’m young enough to want another husband, but too old to get the kind I want”). Whether you consider it a thinking man’s noir or just a bad film, West 11 will leave an impression, and you’ll witness maybe the most dramatic fall down a staircase you’ve ever seen.