at the time of its release, "brighton rock" caused a critical uproar in britain due to its depictions of crime and violence, with the "daily mirror" critic denouncing the razor-slashing scenes as "horrific" and concluding, "this film must not be shown." it was banned in new south wales. some reviewers, as well as author greene, also objected to the final scene as sentimental and contrary to the original book's darker ending.