Freedom to Die

Freedom to Die is a 1961 British second feature^[1] crime thriller film directed by Francis Searle, starring Paul Maxwell and Felicity Young.^[2] It was written by Arthur La Bern.

Freedom to Die
Still from film
Directed by	Francis Searle
Screenplay by	Arthur La Bern
Produced by	Charles A. Leeds
Starring	Paul Maxwell Felicity Young Bruce Seton
Cinematography	Ken Hodges
Edited by	Jim Connock
Music by	John Veale
Production company	Ardmore Studios
Distributed by	Butcher's Film Distributors
Release date	5 March 1961 (1961-03-05) (UK)
Running time	61 min
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

Craig Owen is an incarcerated criminal whose cellmate Felix knows about a safety deposit box with valuable contents. When the cellmate dies, Owen escapes to get the stash. Unable to open the box, he forces Felix's adopted daughter, Linda, to give him the key. Owen is re-arrested and sent back to prison. When his release day comes, Linda shoots him dead.

Cast

• Paul Maxwell as Craig Owen
• Felicity Young as Linda
• Bruce Seton as Felix
• Kay Callard as Coral
• T. P. McKenna as Mike
• Laurie Leigh as Julie

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin said "Unexceptional crime-and-vengeance thriller, lumbered with unnecessary plot ramifications and pretensions toward deeper motivation that neither script nor cast are equipped to handle properly. The direction is rough-and-ready, but keeps the action ticking over steadily."^[3]

Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film describe the film as: "an unusually sombre thriller with a grim ending."^[1]