Reporter Paul Banner, a Canadian "noozeman", works at the Daily Comet in England. When a young boy witnesses a murder, the killer mistakenly tracks down the boy's friend and kills him, thinkigng he was the only witness to the crime. Banner becomes interested in getting to the bottom of the murders but complications arise when Judy, his ex-love, becomes involved.
Banner sets out to find the killer, and has the help of Maxine, a reporter with whom he works at the paper; the two have also been involved in a relationship. Together, they ferret out who the mystery killer is, keeping "one jump ahead" of the police.
Director Charles Saunders also made Behind the Headlines (1956), the second of three crime thrillers based on the works of American novelist Robert Chapman.[6] In 1958, he also directed Murder Reported. All three films had many similarities; the stories all revolved around a news reporter investigating a murder, each lead role played by Paul Carpenter, with different supporting casts.[7] Saunders specialised in B movie at the Kenilworth Films Production house which turned out 11 mainly crime thrillers between 1948 and 1956.[1]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Apart from its unconvincing denouement, this is a fairly entertaining comedy-thriller of a modest and unpretentious type. It is agreeably played, has some engagingly drawn characters and, particularly in the early sequences, some bright dialogue. The plot, though, becomes steadily more unlikely as the film progresses."[8]
TV Guide gave One Jump Ahead two out of five stars and wrote, "... occasionally witty dialog enhances this B-bracket programmer."[9]
InBritish Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Dialogue occasionally crackles with humour; not bad of its type. "[10]
SkyChannel TV noted, "Not at all bad for a British co-feature of its time, with some good crackles of humour in the dialogue and a lively tempo. Ex-boxing champion Freddie Mills appears in one of several roles he played in British films of the 50s."[11]
Film
London
