The Offence
The Offence
R | 11 May 1973 (USA)
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A burned-out British police detective finally snaps while interrogating a suspected child molester.

Reviews
Softwing

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Usamah Harvey

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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Nayan Gough

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

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Matylda Swan

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

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Somnath Bhattacharya

I happened to stumble upon this unrecognized masterpiece. Very few movies have actually quite managed to delve into deep human psyche, this one's that. Sean 'Bond' Connery seems to have been possessed by his character. His character's mind shows just how dangerous is the human psyche, it makes you feel it's not you somehow it takes you over and you become someone else. l years of working on crime scenes with child rape and murder, Johnson(Character) has had enough and is done with when something even more heinous shows up. His mind has seemed to arouse his interests in doing the crime that he's been working on. That's how evil a human psyche can get. Those moments between him and the accused Baxter shows.Well, this should have been received well by fans. I'm surprised with the low votes and ratings. Such a realistic way of portraying stuff. THE OFFENCE will surely leave you shaken.

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vincentlynch-moonoi

As I was watching this film, one of the things that kept crossing my mind was how very much alike, and how very much different Americans and Brits are. Had this been an exclusively American-made film, set in America, you would have a very different movie experience.I know Sidney Lumet is considered to be a great director, and there are a number of his films I've been impressed with. This is not one of them. I found it very disjointed. What is its focus? The search for a child molester? Well, sorta. Police brutality? Well, sorta. A cop having a nervous breakdown? Well, sorta. No direct focus with subplots...all thrown together. Even some of the scenes about 45 minutes into the film are a hodge podge that puzzle you more than they inform you.I think it's necessary to separate two issues here. One is the film, which I am not impressed with at all. The other is the performance by Sean Connery, which though distasteful is remarkable.Trevor Howard shows up an the detective superintendent investigating the murder by policeman Connery. His performance was okay, although usually I am more impressed by him. Vivien Merchant is decent as the wife. Ian Bannen has a gritty role as the possible child molester and victim of police brutality.Sorry to Lumet, but I give the film, overall a big thumbs down. But to Connery a big thumbs up.

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tieman64

Based on a play by John Hopkins, "The Offence" stars Sean Connery as a violent policeman on the hunt of a child molester, played by Ian Bannen.Much of the film simply consists of Connery and Bannen in an interrogation room. It's a battle of the wills, Bannen feigning innocence and Connery insistent that the man is guilty. Of course, everyone thinks Bannen is telling the truth, except Connery, who's been in the gutter so long he knows the mind of a criminal inside out.Not only does Connery know that Bannen is guilty, but he himself identifies with and understands how Bannen thinks. They share the same mind, they've both been to the filthy depths of humanity, both adept at inflicting hurt on each other.The film ends with Connery assaulting Bannen. Unconscious and on the verge of death, Bannen is taken to the very same hospital that his victim, the molested child, was taken. IE- Connery has become a "rapist" just like the man he hunted.Prior to this, flashbacks show Connery being interrogated by his superiors for killing Bannen. This interrogation mirrors Connery's interrogation of Bannen. The tables are turned and it is now Connery who is being questioned and bullied by superiors. IE- power structures hinge on the very dominant/submissive relationship so favoured by Ian Banner's child molester.7.5/10 – Director Sidney Lumet tries to break free of Hopkins' stage play by using flashbacks, slow motion and wonderfully moody exterior shots, but it's not enough. This is filmed theatre, far too stagy and reliant on dialogue.

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Raegan Butcher

Devastating performance from Sean Connery in this criminally under-appreciated tour-de-force. A wet gray chilly England is the setting. Connery's cop has seen too much in his 20 yrs on the force. A series of sex attacks on children is just the latest in a long line of horrors to be dealt with on a daily basis. How can a man see such things and still stay sane? This is without a doubt Sean Connery's finest screen performance.Sidney Lumet conducts the whole affair with his usual precision and expertise. The whole cast is excellent in their respective roles. But this is really Connery's film. He should have won an Oscar for this. Viewing The Offense is not a pleasant experience. But it is as powerful as a keg of nitroglycerin. Once seen, not a film to be forgotten easily.

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