Let Him Have It

In the 1950s, Derek Bentley becomes friends with gun-toting Chris Craig, however, one violent night will change their destinies forever., The Derek Bentley Case has been an uneasy blight on the British legal system since the early 1950s. Two young, frightened boys were caught by police trying to break into to a building. One of the boys had a gun. When the policeman reached out to the youth to turn over the gun, his friend shouted “Let him have it,” and the policeman was killed by a gun blast. Whether the boy understood “Let him have it” to mean he should turn over the gun or to kill the police officer has been debated ever since. But the result was the 19-year-old boy was executed for the crime — only to be posthumously exonerated in 1953. In this dark and biting film by Peter Medak, the life of Derek Bentley (Chris Eccleston) that led up to the crime is recreated in pitiful detail, as well as the ensuing trial and execution. The story begins in 1952, when the likable Bentley is released from reform school. Bentley is an impressionable young man who returns home to his loving family — his parents (Tom Courtenay and Eileen Atkins) and sister (Clare Holman) — but becomes involved with a group of friends, led by the intimidating Chris (Paul Reynolds), who live in the poverty of post-World War II Britain and escape their bleak world by emulating the American gangster films they see at the local cinema. They play-act at being gansters, but with real guns … and tragic results., A page from British criminal history is brought to the screen in powerful and provocative fashion. The shooting of a policeman in 1952 by a mentally retarded teenager results in the youngster being put to death. Should it have happened? This exceptional British film explores the case., Peter Medak’s powerful, provocative and passionate film reconstructs the notorious 1952 Craig-Bentley murder case. Derek Bentley, 19 years old but with a mental age of 11, was hanged for the murder of a policeman, while Chris Craig who actually fired the fatal shot, was considered too young to hang at 16 and was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure., Fact-based story set in 1952 London about a mentally handicapped epileptic sentenced to death for a killing committed by his buddy., Peter Medak’s powerful, provocative and passionate film reconstructs the notorious 1952 Craig-Bentley murder case. Derek Bentley (Christopher Eccleston), 19 years old but with a mental age of 11, was hanged for the murder of a policeman, while Chris Craig (Paul Reynolds), who actually fired the fatal shot, was considered too young to hang at 16 and was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure., In the 1950s, Derek Bentley becomes friends with gun-toting Chris Craig, however, one violent night will change their destinies forever. Christopher Eccleston stars., Powerful drama based on the story of teenager Derek Bentley, who in 1953 was hanged for allegedly urging his youthful cohort to shoot a policeman. Revealing how the easily-influenced Bentley formed a friendship with the boy involved in a life of crime and how they both paid the maximum price for the crime., In the 1950s, Derek Bentley becomes friends with gun-toting Chris Craig, however, one violent night will change their destinies forever. Christopher Eccleston stars. (Drama (Movie), PG, ) (Actors: , Directors: ), Fact-based story set in 1952 London about a mentally handicapped epileptic (Chris Eccleston) sentenced to death for a killing committed by his buddy (Paul Reynolds). Derek’s Father: Tom Courtenay. Fairfax: Tom Bell. Mrs. Bentley: Eileen Atkins. Iris: Clare Holman. Craig: Mark McGann. Lord Goddard: Michael Gough. Directed by Peter Medak., Based on a true story, this drama looks at the controversial postwar London murder trial that sent a mentally handicapped young man to the gallows for a murder he did not commit.