Review: The Siege of Pinchgut


Mostly set in and around Fort Denison (AKA Pinchgut) on Sydney harbour, the film concerns a group of prison escapees led by American-accented Matt (Aldo Ray) and including his nice guy brother Johnny (Neil McCallum). When their escape boat conks out, the gang is forced to hole up in the home of a local family on Pinchgut (which is otherwise kind of a tourist spot). Matt is eager to prove his innocence to the authorities who soon turn up, led by copper Alan Tilvern (A Brit who actually fooled me into thinking he’s one of my own. Terrific accent).


Also known as “Four Desperate Men”, this Sydney-set 1959 British crime flick from director Harry Watt (“Eureka Stockade”, “The Overlanders”) and Aussie screenwriter Jon Cleary (who wrote the novel that became the film “The Sundowners”) is solid B-grade stuff. It’s a bit long, but you get some nice Sydneyside scenery, and although there’s far more British actors in the film than Australians (plus American Aldo Ray and Canadian-born Neil McCallum, the latter looking like a Bond henchman), that makes sense given the changing Aussie accent over the years. Said to be the last-ever Ealing film, it provides easy entertainment and a fine tough guy turn by lead Aldo Ray.


I have no idea how accurate it is to the time and place, but it’s an interesting idea to set a siege film in a harbourside city with military weapons ready for use. Even today, sections of Sydney show evidence of Colonial times. I was just glad that we weren’t getting an ‘ocker’, outback view of Australia, this is more my Australia than any of that dinky-di, corked hat Chips Rafferty nonsense.


A solid, if overlong film with a nice setting and sturdy performance by Aldo Ray. Other performances are uneven (Victor Maddern being the best of them, as one of the crims), but if you’re into this kind of thing it goes down quite easy. 


Rating: B-

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