Freelance (US title: Con Man) is a 1971 British thriller film directed by Francis Megahy and starring Ian McShane. It was written by Megahy and Bernie Cooper. It was not released in England until 1976. A con artist witnesses an assassination.
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Plot
Mitch is a small-time London con-artist. When he witnesses a gangland hit, he is forced to lie low while trying to carry out his own various schemes.
Cast
Ian McShane as Mitch
Gayle Hunnicutt as Chris
Keith Barron as Gary
Alan Lake as Dean
Peter Gilmore as Boss
Luan Peters as Rosemary
Peter Birrel as Jeff
Elizabeth Proud as Gwen
Charles Hyatt as McNair
John Hollis as Hartley
Production
Filming began in London in October 1969. It was Ian MacShane's fourth lead role of the year, following Tam Lin (1970), Battle of Britain (1969), and Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970).
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Workmanlike but thoroughly routine crime drama, whose somewhat dog-eared message is that crime doesn't pay. There is too much chit-chat and – even given the brevity of the film – too many scenes which have little evident purpose. The action, however, is capably managed, and the standard of performances and production is high enough to make one wish that the talent involved had been put to more imaginative use."
The Cambridge Evening News called it "a film of such ordinariness that one wonders how it ever got to be made."