There is more to this bleak story of a young man in a juvenile detention facility than just another bit of “social realism” or the usual formula of redemption-through-sport. There are layers and layers in Alan Sillitoe’s story, and Ralph Richardson’s film gets many of them across. It’s about being controlled, being used, being forced to play roles for others, and finally rebelling against it in a way that makes some sense. The actors clearly understood these subtleties, and avoided clichés in interpreting the roles. Tom Courtney became a star on the strength of this performance. Michael Redgrave, by then a venerable icon, worked every scene with him in delicate balance. This film still has a high reputation in the British cinema, and justly so.
