Connery's cop has seen too much in his 20 yrs on the force. Therein lie the answers. But anyone in doubt of his ability as a proper thespian need look no further than his grim, tormented portrayal of a cop who has seen one too many dead bodies in Sidney Lumet's The Offence, a huge flop at the box office and a film now faded into memory, ripe for a re-discovery. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. FAQ X. Once seen, not a film to be forgotten easily. The Offence came out in 1972 as Sean Connery was desperately trying to break away from his James Bond image. Cast, plot and latest news 09 Nov. Well-made,well-acted,but with a fatal flaw. Shop The Offence [Blu-ray] [1973] at Best Buy. The same man can make a lurid, trashy potboiler like Guilty as Sin, and fire back with a lugubrious British police procedural, namely 1972's The Offence. A fascinating and intense psychological thriller. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. SEE DETAILS. This is one Connery fans should seek out. ... Movie Reviews Presented by Rotten Tomatoes. All rights reserved. Lumet's eye for these soul-sucking landscapes is brilliant - better than that of most English directors. The Offence is based on a play, and it shows. Sean Connery gives arguably the best performance of his career in this dark and exceptionally disturbing thriller from director Sidney Lumet (with whom the big Scot had already made The Hill and The Anderson Tapes). Director Sidney Lumet ("12 Angry Men", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The Verdict") has found a very interesting style for this picture about a police detective's wrong way of dealing with his problems and the evil in the society around him. The murderer was treated as a poor, misunderstood man whose upbringing molded him into the villain he became instead of recognizing and acknowledging the self-will that must always be involved in the transgressions of man. The interrogation of the prisoner played by the superb ian bannen is fraught and uneasy as a battle of wills minds and psychology unfolds,the intensity of this film bears similarity to the claustrophobic feel of the jury room in twelve angry men, or even the warehouse in reservoir dogs, although the plots are in no way similar, this film is a must see for anyone who likes well acted well scripted tense drama, it is an unfairly forgotten gem, miles better than other better known movies of the time. Don't have an account? Connery's character is also struggling with his own paedophile tendencies. Sidney Lumet's new film, "The Offence," takes place in a suburb of London, not an old suburb but one of those barren new suburbs still in the process of … It remains cloudy about things that should be … and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. Included is the aftermath of a gory car crash, a baby’s bloodied arm hanging out of its crib, dead entwined lovers, and a body hung from a tree. 'The Offence' is one of the few films which accurately captures the bleak, estranged architecture of the many English New Towns that sprang up in the 50's and 60's. It is essentially a two-hander for the most part with Connery and Ian Bannen (as the paedophile) trying to get the better of one another in the interrogation room of a police station. It stars Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Trevor Howard and Vivien Merchant. This is a searing film, which creeps up on you, and stuns you with sudden realizations. 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