River Beat
Directed by	Guy Green
Written by	Rex Rienits
Produced by	Herman Cohen Victor Hanbury
Starring	John Bentley Phyllis Kirk Leonard White Glyn Houston
Cinematography	Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by	Peter Graham Scott
Music by	Hubert Clifford
Production company	Insignia Films
Distributed by	Eros Films Lippert Pictures (US)
Release date	29 March 1954
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

River Beat is a 1954 British noir crime film directed by Guy Green and starring John Bentley, Phyllis Kirk and Leonard White.^[1] The screenplay concerns a river police inspector who faces a moral dilemma when a woman he knows gets caught up in jewel smuggling. It was shot at Walton Studios and on location around London. The film's sets were designed by the art director John Stoll. It was produced as a second feature and distributed in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

Plot

Judy (Phyllis Kirk) is a radio operator on an American ship duped into smuggling diamonds in the belief that she was delivering cigarettes. Stopped by Customs she is in further trouble when the man who involved her is found dead in the river. Customs Detective Dan Barker (John Bentley), who has fallen for Judy has to find out whether she is guilty or innocent and protect her from the smuggling gang, especially if they think she is “going to talk”.

Cast

Reception

Variety said "The programmer market, currently short of passable supporting filmfare, will find this London-localed melodrama an acceptable filler... Miss Kirk provides a casting switch to the Anglo-American film efforts Lippert usually releases. Heretofore it has been an American male in England, and mixed up with Scotland Yard and British crooks... The plotting is contrived and everything drops too patly into place as the 70 minutes unfold."^[2] The film critic Dennis Schwartz called it "a decent adventure film involving ruthless smugglers" and noted the "great location shooting in London, a taut screenplay by Rex Rientis, and a fine acting performance by the American Phyllis Kirk."^[3]