Well Deserved Praise

Highly Overrated But Still Good

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Boy do I miss these rough, sleazy and raw crime thrillers. "The Squeeze" is a hard one to figure out… I was somewhat disappointed but then again at the same time I wasn't entirely disappointed by this gut-busting 70s British crime caper. I hope I didn't confused anyone, but while it packed enough tough dialogues, brutal action and a lean edge, it didn't really have any sort of impact or rhythm to it all. It plays out like a glum waiting game, as it doesn't really explode until the final 10 minutes and even then it's quite anticlimactic. The thrills are there, but it doesn't completely ignite with it steering more so to a character-laced story to instrument it's calculative and hard-hitting framework. Most the time is spent on Keach's washed-up, drunk ex-detective character Jim Naboth battling the temptation and dependency of alcohol, while in between that trying to find his kidnapped ex-wife and her daughter who are being held hostage to pull off a million pound security firm robbery. His character isn't painted in a very glowing light, like the scenes where he's hitting the bottle (even though time isn't on his side) and especially the film's climax where he's holding a gun to a child's head. While pathetic in what seems like too big of an ask, there's still good will there in his reflective nature and his young son sees it (despite the hardship he endures because of it) and so does Freddie Starr's character Teddie --- a reformed criminal friend who wants Jim to join him in a co-venture of a private detective business. Freddie pretty much looks after him (almost like a protective mother figure/or nagging wife) when he gets on the drink, and tries his best to keep him clean to perform the job. Starr is great and has some amusingly snappy dialogues exchanges with Keach. However the driving force behind it would be that of Keach's outstanding lead performance, along with a cracker ensemble support cast of the likes of David Hemmings, Steven Boyd, Edward Fox, Carol White and Freddie Starr. These villains are your typical well-mannered, but suitably nasty underworld guys with David Hemming and Stephen Boyd making a great duo whose characters perfectly complement each other. Hemming playing it neurotically cold with underlining cruelness and Boyd oozes in confidence as the head honcho. White brings a strong showing to her character, especially throughout the whole abduction ordeal, like her humiliating strip dance.Director Michael Apted does nothing too flash, by keeping it efficiently workmanlike, tight and engraving a gritty authenticity to its dramas and London locations. It's quite well-made. If Don Siegel had directed a British gangland feature, "The Squeeze" could almost pass at that in style… although while not quite gangland he did make the Michael Caine starring "The Black Windmill". The stimulating screenplay by Leon Griffiths is tautly written and quite straight-up with its blunt illustrations, where the whole weary alcoholic sub-plot (morally abstruse in nature) could be seen as a smokescreen to get you invested into the character, while letting the kidnap situation feel like nothing more than a constant niggler with unpleasant lashings to spice it up. David Hentschel's stirring, electrifying music score never lets up with its electronic digs and intense, sickening guitar riffs… which had me thinking of Jimmy Page's scorching score for "Death Wish 2." I loved it! Not a great film, but a good one.

What a great film I saw it twice at cinemas 1 time It was a support film for one of the Sweeney movies in the days you got 2 films for you money. It is a classic 70s cop film,hard drinking,hard working & tough guy cop,it was about the time of S.Keachs drug burst if you remember it,he is now appearing on channel 5 s prison escape drama. I don't think that Carol White was in many films after this. If you was in London in the seventies you would recognise the greyness and the fact there was no drinking after the pubs close at 14.30 until 17.30,this film should be regarded with the same respect that the Long Good Friday is now being regarded as a seminal 80s film. I have tried to buy it on DVD but it does not appear to be released.

This is a cracker of a movie. There are good performances all round, and some stylish direction from former documentary film-maker Michael Apted. Watch out for some shaky camera work in some scenes. He later on gave us Gorillas in the Mist, among many others. The main surprise in this, is how great Freddie Starr performs in his only film role. And it was certainly an inspired piece of casting-whoever is responsible, I take my hat off to you. Though it looks low budget, there are quite a few top weight actors in it, even by 1970s standards such as Edward Fox, and the late David Hemmings. Sheila White, the poor cow of the '60s does a fine job as the kidnapped wife of Fox's character. It's not hard to see why Stacy Keach is so good as a man fighting substance abuse. He later on had his own troubles when he was caught entering the UK with drugs in 1984. Some years before, he portrayed a low grade boxer in Fat City with a young Jeff Bridges.This was made in the '70s, it's quite violent and rough around the edges. You have been warned. Enjoy it anyway.

Stacey Keach does a good job as a washed-up, ex-scotland, yard detective. He's an alcoholic bum who has few graces. The film is devoid of glamour, from the grimey wallpaper to the low-life characters - it's like it is. But the film appears to suffer from some really bad editing. The story line flies from deep to shallow, and ends abruptly with a ridiculous finale which made me feel disappointed that I stayed up so late to watch it! Still, I think it was worth the vigil. The performances, by Keach, Freddy Starr, Edward Fox and the villains made it watchable.