Let Him Have It (1991)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Led by a gripping performance from Christopher Eccleston, Let Him Have It sounds a compelling call for justice on behalf of its real-life protagonist.
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Cast
as Derek Bentley
as Chris Craig
as William Bentley
as Fairfax
as Lilian Bentley
as Iris
as Craig
as Lord Goddard
as Jack the Warder
as Secondary School Teacher
as Niven's Judge
as Pierrepont
as Cassels
as Terry
as Vincent
as Harrison
as McDonald
as Stella
as Humphries
as Dennis Bentley
as Small Boy at School
as Schoolboy in Secondary School
as Boy, Fairview Road
as Reprieve Petition Woman
as Big Cecil
as Butcher
as West Indian Driver
as Posh TV Lady
as Mr. Craig
as Mrs. Craig
as 9-Year-Old Girl
as Father
as Mother
as Police Desk Sergeant
as Miles
as Army Recruit Doctor
as Harry Proctor
as Clerk of the Court
as Jones, the Prison Warder
as Reporter
as Conservative MP
as Postman
as Senior Prison Warder
as Derek (age 8)
as Iris (age 10)
as Derek (age 14)
as Prison Chaplain
as Nightwatchman
as Lady at Butcher's
as Police Officer
as Maxwell-Fyfe
as Man in Suit
as Mrs. Miles
as Woman with Petition
as Parris
as Foreman on the Jury
as Owner of the Milk Bar
as Boy in Nightwatchman's Hut
as Boy in Nightwatchman's Hut
Critic Reviews for Let Him Have It
All Critics (37) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (6) | DVD (1)
Courtenay slowly works his way into the center of the movie's sympathies. When he embraces his remaining family at the moment of his son's execution, his sorrow seems boundless.
As the protagonist/victim, Eccleston gives a superb, riveting performance in his feature-film debut, as does Reynolds, another newcomer who deftly handles the role of the gun-crazy and trigger-happy Chris.
Let Him Have It is unabashedly weighted toward the perspective of the murderer as victim -- a notion that does not enjoy much public currency in our more violent times. But if ever there was a victim of the judicial system, it was Derek Bentley.
The script, by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, finds enough quirks in its protagonists to lift them above the issues-movie premise. Michael Kamen's atmospheric chamber score is also crucial to the film's success.
A chiaroscuro drama of unstoppable tragedy.
Fairness isn't the issue here, dramatic depth is: You don't have to favor capital punishment to feel yourself being manipulated.
Audience Reviews for Let Him Have It
Quite a strong movie, based on a true story, highlighting miscarriage of justice.
Super Reviewer
Well made, dramatic case study of the crime, trial and subsequent execution of Derek Bentley. Director Peter Medak and a very talented cast have put together a powerful argument against capital punishment and a scathing indictment of Britain's jurisprudence.
Super Reviewer
Intelligent drama in which a mentally challenged petty criminal is railroaded onto the gallows, causing the establishment to re-evaluate it's use of the death penalty. Well acted and thought provoking.
Super Reviewer
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