"A sensible and unusual thriller that is virtually unknown here...Off Beat poses some interesting moral dilemmas and puts the audience in the awkward position of getting to root for the rather likeable villains. Anthony Dawson, the would-be murderer in Dial M for Murder, is particularly good as the leader of the gang. Incidentally, the film represents the first effort of a young new director, Cliff Owen, who went on to specialize in well done, if never outstanding crime thrillers and comedies like The Wrong Arm of the Law. One of the major pleasures of a film like this is its unpredictability, so I'll say little about it and leave its qualities of surprise intact." William K. Everson