Brighton Rock (1948) review

Back in the good ol' bad days of East Sussex, small-time gangster Pinkie (Richard Attenborough) blames a newspaper reporter for the death of a friend, so he tries to kill him on an amusement ride - in the meantime he seduces a meek waitress (Carol Marsh) to be his alibi.  This has been highly praised by many, but it just feels like a weak imitation of early American crime movies only without any sense of charm: the set-up (involving a game with hidden cards) could have used more explanation, and it's tough to appreciate a film in which I found myself annoyed that the lead character wasn't wiped out quicker.  To compound the nonstop level of malevolence, it has one of the most sinister endings in movie history.