This art-house movie from the mid-60s feels dramatically slow, though it does explore some intriguing ideas. A small-statured artist (Donald Pleasence) shares a home with his considerably younger French wife (Françoise Dorléac) in a castle situated on an island that's accessible only at low tide in northern England. The arrival of a rough gangster (Lionel Stander) disrupts their life, leading to chaos. Iain Quarrier, William Franklyn and a young Jacqueline Bisset appear in smaller roles. "Cul-de-Sac" (1966) represents an early attempt by Roman Polanski, a free-form black and white psychological crime dramedy that incorporates elements of “The Damned” (1963), “Touch of Evil” (1958) and “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951), blending them with dark humor and the central concept found in "Straw Dogs" (1971). Jack Nicholson has named it as a personal favorite, which makes sense when you consider his own film, "The Shooting" (1966). The overall feel anticipates films by Robert Altman like “The Long Goodbye” (1973). It possesses such an improvisational quality that one might question its purpose. Are French women portrayed as anxious and unfaithful? Are British artists cowardly? Does violence beget violence? No matter how much someone attempts to retreat from the world to concentrate on their art, the ugliness of reality will inevitably intrude and may even become intimately involved. Even a man of refinement can succumb to his most basic instincts when pushed to extremes. The film clearly has its admirers who consider it a work of genius. There are some noteworthy technical aspects, such as the 7.5 minute scene on the beach, which was among the longest unbroken sequences in cinema history up until that point. However, the characters feel strange and difficult to connect with, while the plot wanders aimlessly and lacks dramatic energy. Despite this, the settings, the performers, and the underlying concepts are captivating, along with all the oddities. The film’s running time is 1 hour, 52 minutes, and it was filmed on Holy Island of Lindisfarne, located off the coast of northeastern England. GRADE B-/C+

Source on TMDB