Tiger Bay Reviews

A Polish sailor on leave, Korchinsky (Horst Buchholz), heads into Tiger Bay to visit his girlfriend, Anya (Yvonne Mitchell). He finds that she is now living with another man and guns her down in a fit of anger. Their noisy argument attracts the attention of 12-year-old Gillie (Hayley Mills), a lonely tomboy who witnesses the murder through a mail slot. She gets hold of the murder weapon, convinced that having a gun will make her popular with her peers when they play cowboys and Indians. In time, the precocious youngster is confronted by a police detective (her real-life father, John Mills), but she frustrates him by reciting a convincing string of lies that get her deeper into the situation than she ever imagined. TIGER BAY operates on several levels, creating a thriller of varying intensity with the warm relationship that develops between Gillie and Korchinsky at its center. Korchinsky's interest in the girl grows from a desperate need to keep his crime a secret into genuine affection. Likewise, Gillie sees this as an adventure which will make her popular with playmates, until she develops strong feelings for the sailor. This was Hayley Mills's film debut, and she gives quite a performance for an actress of any age.