It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The most interesting thing about the Siege of Pinchgut are the numbers of scenes of the City of Sydney and some of its suburbs in the 1950s, which is fascinating to review nearly 60 years later. The story involves an escaped criminal (Aldo Ray), who protests his innocence, and the 3 men who have helped him escape from custody. They attempt a nighttime escape by boat through Sydney Harbour but are forced aground on Pinchgut Island - now much better known as Fort Denison - where they hold hostage the caretaker and his family. The movie has quite an interesting plot and the acting is quite good. It does fall apart a little towards the end as the plot descends into melodrama and the key question of Ray's innocence or guilt is never resolved. The interest for me as a child of the 50s in Sydney was seeing scenes of various Sydney locations as they were in my childhood. Despite being made by the British studio Ealing and containing a number of British actors, the movie was evidently made with the American market in mind. Not only was the star, Aldo Ray, speaking with an American accent but American spelling was used. In one scene a newspaper headline read "Harbor", which is the American spelling. The British and Australian spelling is "Harbour". Despite its shortcomings, most notably falling into absurdity towards the end, a weak climax and some unresolved issues, the movie held my interest throughout and I can recommend it especially to older Australians for the historical value of the geographical scenes.

One of the previous reviewers stated erroneously that Ealing only lasted 20 years.That is completely wrong.A studio has been on the present site for around 100 years.In 1930 a company was formed called Associated Talking Pictures headed by Basil Dean.This made films for release by Radio Pictures.Trouble was Radio wanted them as supports for their American imports whereas Dean wanted them for top of the bill.So they split from Radio.Dean was ousted in 1938 because he liked to use his wife,Victoria Hopper,in colossal flops such as "Whom The Gods Love".It was at this point that Balcon,who had left MGM British became head of the studios,the name changed to Ealing and it became world famous.However by 1955 various problems beset Balcon and he had no option but to sell the studios,where films are made to this day.Balcon had a distribution deal with MGM and rented space at their Boreham Wood studios,where the likes of "Davy" and "Dunkirk" were made.However MGM was in turmoil and Balcon left for ABPC who distributed this film.However films had moved on since his heyday and so the company was disbanded at the end of the year.It is actually a rather good film,even if Aldo Ray is less than convincing as an Aussie.It is an entertaining film and a fine testament to Ealing and Balcon.

That's probably the most powerful little UK film I have ever seen since a long time. I am totally amazed, surprised at the most. It's entertaining from the start to the end. Aldo Ray is here wonderful, as usual. I also remember him in a similar character - well, nearly - in John Guillermin's THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND. UK gave us really good films, when they wanted to. We see here a British product, but so awesome. Suspense and action, with sub characters the audience feel sympathy for, even the "bad guys"...It reminds me a novel, never put on the screen - such a shame - TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE, written by a guy named Tony Kenrick, where a bunch of hoods take New York as hostage with the help of a huge canon aboard a war ship in Manhattan harbor. In this book, they threaten the authorities to blow the skycrapper if they don't get a big bullion...Back to this film, I hope many people will watch it. It's worth.

It's been decades since I viewed this rare B&W movie of the late 1950s. What I remember is the great photography, the police sharpshooters lined up atop the great Sydney Harbour Bridge arch (our much-loved 'coathanger') many hundreds of feet above the water and the laughable acting performance of poor old Aldo Ray. Forget the acting, though, and enjoy the action as the coppers try to take out the baddies on the Sydney Harbour fortress of Pinchgut, otherwise known as Fort Dennison.Update, 2007. I came across the movie tie-in paperback authored by George Kay which includes 8 b/w photos from the movie. Published in England by Four Square Books in 1962.