By Vlad Zakh · July 11, 2026
Sydney Tafler brought a sharp, streetwise energy to British cinema and frequently played spivs, salesmen and shady operators across four decades. The Lavender Hill Mob, A Kid for Two Farthings, Reach for the Sky and Sink the Bismarck! are the highlights, Too Many Crooks kidnaps the wrong family member, and Cottage to Let rounds out the list.
01 British naval command races to track and destroy Germany's most powerful battleship.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert · 1h 37m · Rated NR
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
02 A Royal Air Force pilot who lost both legs fights to return to combat flying during the Second World War.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert · 2h 15m
Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
03 Sydney Tafler appears in this British comedy about a gang of bumbling criminals who kidnap the wrong family member while trying to extort a wealthy businessman.
Directed by Mario Zampi · 1h 27m · Rated NR
Stream: YouTube TV
Stream: ITVX Premium · Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
04 A boy in London's East End believes an ordinary goat is really a magical unicorn.
Directed by Carol Reed · 1h 36m · Rated NR
Stream: Criterion Channel
Stream: Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
Stream: Criterion Channel
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
05 Alec Guinness plays a mild-mannered bank clerk who masterminds an elaborate gold bullion heist.
Directed by Charles Crichton · 1h 18m · Rated NR
Stream: FlixFling, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Stream: Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, BFI Player · Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
Stream: FlixFling · Rent: FlixFling · Buy: Apple TV Store, FlixFling
Rent: JustWatch TV, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
06 Leslie Banks features in this British thriller where a Scottish family's remote cottage becomes the centre of a wartime espionage plot.
Directed by Anthony Asquith · 1h 30m · Rated NR
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Stream: ITVX Premium
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.
