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Part of the Vintage Classics collection Basil Dearden enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Ealing Studios, both producing and directing many of their best-loved films of the 1940s and 50s. A lesser-known gem is crime thriller The Gentle Gunman, based on the stage play by Roger McDougall (The Man in The White Suit, The Bells Go Down) and starring two titans of post-War British cinema: John Mills and Dirk Bogarde. At the height of World War II, Terry (John Mills) and his younger brother (Dirk Bogarde) are undercover IRA foot-soldiers working in London. But While Matt is fully committed to the cause, Terry is now beginning to question their violent methods. When two fellow IRA members are arrested Terry and Matt are asked to break them out. Will Terry follow his orders or will his misgivings put the two in harms way?

The Gentle Gunman (1952)
86 min
The relationship between brothers Terry and Matt, both active in the IRA, comes under strain when Terry begins to question the use of violence.