The October Man

Astrology Amnesia.

The October Man is directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Eric Ambler. It stars John Mills, Joan Greenwood, Edward Chapman, Kay Walsh, Joyce Carey, Catherine Lacey, Adrianne Allen and Felix Aylmer. Music is by William Alwyn and cinematography by Erwin Hillier.

Following a bus crash that killed a friends child that he was treating to a day out, Jim Ackland (Mills) suffers a brain injury. During his recuperation its revealed to him that he is prone to amnesia, and even though hes suicidal over the childs death, hes released back into society. Setting up lodgings at a hotel and back to work as an industrial chemist, Jim is functioning well. That is until he financially helps one of the young lady residents of the ...

I'm not the greatest fan of John Mills, but he is pretty good in this superior crime thriller. He is involved in a motor accident and many years later is still suffering from after effects when, whilst staying at an hotel, he becomes involved in the investigation of the murder of a fellow resident who is killed after she went out on a foggy London night to post a letter. He has no alibi, and his memories are inconsistent so the police begin suspect him of the crime. Can he do some detective work of his own to find the real killer? The story is pretty formulaic, but there are a few good (short) contributions from Joan Greenwood and Kay Walsh to supply us with enough red herrings to keep it interesting until, I have to say, a really pretty li...