The Offence

R

1973

1h 52m

Drama

Crime

List

71%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A veteran British police inspector, Sgt. Johnson (Sean Connery), has grown increasingly disturbed by the rapes and murders he has investigated over the years. When he finds a young girl in the woods who has been raped, police begin searching for a suspect. When Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen) is brought in for questioning, Johnson snaps, beating him during an unauthorized interrogation. Lt. Cartwright (Trevor Howard) is then brought in to interview him about the incident.

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Jelisije J

A off paced film that gives you a great intriguing character in Sean Connery as a detective of the british police force that has a dark twisted secret.....if the first half of this movie was as good as the last 30 minutes then this would be a bona fide classic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/24

Full Review

Peter G

You hopefully found my comments from a few minutes ago. Anyway, this may be Connery's most powerful dramatic performance. He & Lumet worked together several times & although this film is not for everyone it's disturbing impact registers strongly with me. THE OFFENSE remains a powerful & disturbing experience & understandably a number of viewers then could not deal with its intense portrait of a psychologically impaired police officer who goes off the rails while interrogating a criminal suspect. This film following directly after DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER was, for many, a shock due to Connery‘s repellent character. The character played superbly by Ian Bannan would arose almost anyone's suspicions but his actual guilt remains uncertain & Connery‘s violent reaction to him reveals even more about the officer‘s psyche than it does the suspect. Vivien Merchant as Connery‘s long suffering & unloved wife is affecting & Trevor Howard as Connery‘ superior is vivid as well. This was one of Lumet‘s several fine films that did not, IMO, receive the recognition it deserved & showcases his formidable abilities in directing his actors. Right up to his last film, BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOUR DEAD, which is an even greater achievement, Lumet demonstrated these qualities & perhaps will be best remembered because of these virtues.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/19/23

Full Review

Rami A

If I were in Sean Connery's shoes, I'd be just as ominous and forceful as he was in this movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/11/23

Full Review

Martin B

Decide to watch this movie, you'll see some great actors doing some of the most intense scenes you'll ever see but prepare yourself for a psychological downer. A broken cop with hidden deviant thoughts. Made worse by not being able to compartmentalize the horrors he sees on the job from his homelife. An hour and 52 minutes of pure pain and horrible behavior.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Brilliant,dark,atmospheric,worthwatching for Ian Bannens performance alone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Abusive Connery's Aggressively Bleak

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Sean Connery

Detective Sergeant Johnson

Trevor Howard

Lieutenant Cartwright

Vivien Merchant

Maureen Johnson

Ian Bannen

Kenneth Baxter

Derek Newark

Frank Jessard

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

The third collaboration between Sean Connery and the director Sidney Lumet is an unsettling glimpse into the toxic mind of a policeman who has been polluted by the horrors witnessed over the course of his career.

Rated: 4/5

May 12, 2015

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Lumet's direction strives to give to material that is neither edifying nor suspenseful a fake profundity, stretching it to unconscionable lengths.

May 12, 2015

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

There's a powerful confrontation of authority and accused between police sergeant Sean Connery and suspected child molester Ian Bannen in Sidney Lumet's The Offence. A brilliant scene, however, does not in itself make for a brilliant overall feature.

Apr 4, 2011

Full Review

Christopher Hudson

The Spectator

A great disappointment.

May 12, 2015

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Gritty police programmes are now so much a part of the TV landscape that it is hard to realise that a feature like The Offence once packed quite a punch.

Rated: 3/5

May 12, 2015

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

This unrelentingly somber policier inaugurates a newfound force in Lumet's work.

May 12, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

A veteran British police inspector, Sgt. Johnson (Sean Connery), has grown increasingly disturbed by the rapes and murders he has investigated over the years. When he finds a young girl in the woods who has been raped, police begin searching for a suspect. When Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen) is brought in for questioning, Johnson snaps, beating him during an unauthorized interrogation. Lt. Cartwright (Trevor Howard) is then brought in to interview him about the incident.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: John Hopkins
Production Co: Tantallon
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2017
Runtime: 1h 52m

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