Let Him Have It (DVD, 2005)

A fairly dark film, set in the U.K. and based on a true story, about how things can go surprisingly wrong when you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The title of the film is apparently the key to the tragedy which follows, because the phrase in question can be and apparently is misinterpreted by the judiciary. It's a fine performance by Christopher Eccleston who confirms his range here by playing a youth who is "not all there" in some way of other (we are never quite sure what the diagnosis is - this was back in the forties and fifties when a great deal of mental illness and personality disorders and so on were even more misunderstood than they are today). He manages to excite our sympathy yet at the same time gives a broad measure of autonomy and dignity to this individual who is generally assumed to be a bit slow by his entourage and often taken advantage of. The acting is generally top notch, although the scenario is a bit shaky at times, but all in all this is a film very well worth watching and a credit to everyone involved.

I was glad to see this movie appear on DVD in the USA. It portrays a difficult time in British history for their youth.