This starts out to be one kind of crime film and evolves into something else entirely. A lead detective tells his subordinates to stop using informants because he believes they should transition to more modern methods. But inspector Johnnoe does not intend to take a useful tool out of his toolbox just because he needs to add some additional tools. So he disobeys orders and continues using them, and one in particular - Jim Ruskin.
There have been a string of bank robberies going on in London, and Jim has a tip on who is involved. But the crooks see Jim watching them, and his drunk routine does not fool them. They take Jim prisoner and murder him, but not before he phones Johnnoe's house and leaves a message as to who is responsible for the robberies. So now as a result Johnnoe is hanging around and bothering the thieves and they have to do something to discredit him, because murdering an inspector will just get more heat on them.
When it comes to a lone nut criminal or one lone ranger of a cop, American cinema is pretty good. But nobody does films about ensemble crimes and teamwork like the Europeans. And since I hate to watch subtitles, I really like British crime and noir films. This one goes to such a wild place I'll just let you watch how it play out. The one actor I recognized was Derrin Nesbitt, who just excelled at playing memorable and unpredictable sociopaths. I'd highly recommend this.
