21 Days (1940)

A happy couple (Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh) return from a day out to discover her husband waiting for them. He demands £20 to go away, a fracas ensues and in self-defence, Olivier kills him. He dumps the body and then confides in his career-obsessed solicitor brother (Leslie Banks) who advises them to sit tight and do nothing. That works until a man is charged with the murder so they decide that should he be found guilty then they will confess all to save the him from the gallows. I found Olivier's rather insipid performance a bit irritating after a while; sure his character is weak-willed but his constantly stunned facial expressions and overly theatrical gestures rather over-egged the pudding here. Great performances from Leigh, Banks and a super supporting cast with an avuncular Francis L. Sullivan, Robert Newton & David Horne all compensated adequately, though, and contributed well to make this an engaging crime thriller - with a slight twist at the end...