The Dark Night Of Revenge-Ray Milland’s Hostile Witness

DVD Review

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

Hostile Witness, starring and directed by Ray Milland, 1968

You know you always hear stories, or at least in the old days in the corner boy society I belong around in high school you heard stories, about guys who had been sent to stir, you know prison, by some happenstance of their making who swore on seven bibles, maybe more, that they would get even with the guys, mainly the cops, prosecuting attorney, and judge who put them in the slammer. That search for revenge would help them while away the hours but in the actual case they usually let it go. Either that or their scheme was so hare-brained that if it had been executed they would be once again whiling away the hours in some cellblock.  But not all of them let it go or had such hare-brained schemes, take John Naylor in the film under review, Ray Milland’s Hostile Witness, who almost, and remember that word almost, got away with murder in his vengeful scheme.

Simon Crawford, Queen’s Councilor, in other words a lawyer in England, played by Ray Milland, had like a lot of up and coming lawyers started out in the prosecutor’s office and in the course of events would have put more than a few bad guys away, a few seeking revenge for their incarceration too. Same with judges, maybe more so if they handed out a harsh sentence. Like I said plenty of guys whiled away their prison time plotting in excruciating detail their revenge. And John Naylor who was put in gaol (jail) by Simon and Justice Matthews planned and plotted a lot better than most. See he was in his revenge for the long haul so when he got out he gain employee in the law offices of one Simon Crawford. His idea was to study the man and when he had an opportunity he would pounce. After years of waiting he got his opportunity when Simon’s young daughter was run over and mortally wounded by a hit and run driving identified only as an older man. Simon was ready to move heaven and hell to find that bastard who took his main reason for existence away.

That is when John was able to pounce. Justice Matthews by then was an old man and the idea was put in Simon’s mind that Matthews had been the hit and run driver. And presto one fine night Justice Matthews was found dead, found murdered most foul and on that same night in that same neighborhood one Simon Crawford was found on the ground by a neighbor conked on the head. It didn’t take much for the coppers to put two and two together and come up Simon, Simon murder one. It figured, right. So Simon was going to the big house, maybe step off on some high hung gallows for the crime. But wait a minute. Hold on. Simon was not built like that although a lot of evidence pointed his way. Naturally in trying to find the real criminal Simon honed in on the idea that it had been an inside job, had been done with close knowledge of his movements, and so guess who got to take the rap. And now dear John Naylor will have plenty of time to figure out his next revenge. But that last time was a close thing. Just ask Simon Crawford.