Let Him Have It

"The shocking story of an unbelievable miscarriage of justice."

1991 1h 55m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 51

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1950s England, slow-witted Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Chris and Derek's friendship leads to their involvement in the true case which would forever shake England's belief in capital punishment.

“The shocking story of an unbelievable miscarriage of justice.”

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Cast

Christopher Eccleston
Derek Bentley
Paul Reynolds
Christopher Craig
Tom Courtenay
William Bentley
Eileen Atkins
Lilian Bentley
Iain Cuthbertson
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe
Tom Bell
Fairfax
Clive Revill
Pierrepoint
Serena Scott Thomas
Stella

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Medak
Writers: Robert Wade, Neal Purvis
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Medak, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ray Lovejoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Christopher Eccleston and Paul Reynolds and Tom Courtenay carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Medak directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. Michael Kamen scores. Ray Lovejoy cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
335 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.
5Directed by Peter Medak, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ray Lovejoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Christopher Eccleston and Paul Reynolds and Tom Courtenay carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The shocking story of an unbelievable miscarriage of justice.".
10IMDB entry: tt0102288 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 51 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.