Movie Description
Two teenagers are surprised by police during a break-in. One, epileptic with the mental age of 11 and IQ of 66 is arrested, the other, a gun-toting hood refuses to give up his weapon. Shouting "Let Him Have It!" to his friend, he fires, wounding one officer and killing another. Both boys face the death penalty. Did the boy mean "shoot him" or "give him the gun"? Based on a true story.
| Credits | | Cast: | Clare Holman, Paul Reynolds, Tom Bell |
Notes
Co-produced by Film Trustees and Vivid.
Shown at the 45th Edinburgh International Film Festival (New British Cinema) August 21, 1991.
Shot in Eastmancolor.
Additional cast: Ian Deam (Terry); Bert Tyler-Moore (Vincent); Steve Nicholson (Harrisson); Niven Boyd (McDonald); Serena Scott-Thomas (Stella); Ben Brazier (Dennis Bentley); Tony Sands (Small Boy in School); Charlie Creed Miles (Schoolboy in Secondary School); Daniel Brazier (Boy, Fairview Road); Francis Hope (Big Cecil); Peter Jonfield (Butcher); Rudolph Walker (West Indian Driver); Delia Lindsay (Post TV Lady); Denny Kirk (Mr. Kirk); Lottie Ward (Mrs. Craig); Victoria Moore (Girl); Glyn Grain (Father); Karen Lewis (Mother); William Waghorn (Police Desk Sergeant); Robert Morgan (Miles); Colin McCormack (Army Recruit Doctor); Joe Melia (Harry Proctor); Jimmy Flint (Jones, Prison Warder); Terence Skelton (Conservative MP); and Arthur Whybrow (Senior Prison Warder).
Additional credits: Mary Gwatkin (production coordinator); Jackie Stears & Steve Hedinger (scenic artists); Peter Govey Films (titles/opticals); Sonja Shields (courtroom adviser); Dr. Frank Besag (medical adviser); and Iris Bentley (special consultant).
Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification.
Editorial Reviews
"...Explosive drama..."
Rolling Stone - p.103-4 - Peter Travers (11/28/1991)
"...[A] crisp, chilling investigatory drama....[LET HIM HAVE IT] finds beauty in unexpected places..."
New York Times - p.C24 - Janet Maslin (12/06/1991)
"...[Medak] has a compelling, unfussy style; as in his last film he hones in on the details of the case and lets the larger meanings emerge unemphatically..."
Los Angeles Times - Peter Rainer (12/11/1991)
"...[Courtenay] is touching here....In his reconstruction of the trial, Medak is unforgiving, showing a legal system less concerned with justice than with proving itself correct..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (01/24/1992)
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