A 12-year-old girl with a murder weapon and zero interest in telling the truth. What could go wrong?
In Tiger Bay, the docklands of Cardiff, rough-and-tumble street urchin Gillie witnesses the brutal killing of a young woman at the hands of visiting Polish sailor Korchinsky. Instead of reporting the crime to the authorities, Gillie merely pockets a prize for herself — Korchinsky's shiny black revolver — and flees the scene. When Detective Graham discovers that Gillie has the murder weapon, the fiery young girl weaves a web of lies to throw him off course.
Acting
Hayley Mills debut—steals every scene at twelve
Direction
Thompson's documentary-style Cardiff docklands
Cinematography
Atmospheric shadows hiding in plain sight
Director
J. Lee Thompson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hayley Mills got the role after her father John Mills insisted the director see her; she beat 200 other girls and became Disney's biggest child star.
One of the first British films shot partly on location in Tiger Bay, Cardiff's multiracial dockland community—rare authentic working-class representation for 1959.
GB
