Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) - 8/10

I’ve not watched Kind Hearts and Coronets in 25 years, to be honest all I can remember is that Alec Guinness plays half the cast. He’s essentially the repeated target in a dark comedy, where an aristocratic family is bumped off, one by one, by distant hard up relative, Louis (Dennis Price), who wants the family title and wealth to himself. He’s the storyteller here, narrating and composing his memoirs upon his own imminent death, describing quite how he found himself an appointment with the hangman. It’s not a gritty crime caper of greed though, it’s a rollercoaster ride with a moral thread, as Louis tries to reclaim his birthright and avenge the treatment of his now deceased  mother. It’s all wonderfully charming and delightful, as Louis navigates his way through high society. Guinness is wonderful, with plenty of scope to indulge in a wide variety of loathsome and entitled behaviour, making him all the more a satisfying mark. Price though is the focus and steals the show with a devilishly masterful performance. Cunningly trapping and dispatching of Guinness over and over, with a cutting flair. With all the skullduggery at play, it has more than enough to keep the story whipping along at a pleasing pace, but add in a love triangle sub-plot with Sibella (Joan Greenwood) and it really does tick all the boxes. Louis starts out the hero, but can he retain the moral high ground as his plotting complicates and he gets closer to the prize. Highly worthy of all the praise it enjoys.

8/10