Let Him Have It

Let Him Have It is a 1991 British drama film directed by Peter Medak and starring Christopher Eccleston, Paul Reynolds, Tom Courtenay and Tom Bell. The film is based on the true story of Derek Bentley,[2] who was convicted of the murder of a police officer by joint enterprise and was hanged in 1953 under controversial circumstances.[3]

Let Him Have It
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Medak
Written byNeal Purvis
Robert Wade
Produced by
  • Luc Roeg
  • Robert Warr
Starring
CinematographyOliver Stapleton
Edited byRay Lovejoy
Music byMichael Kamen
Production
companies
  • British Screen Productions
  • Le Studio Canal+
  • Film Trustees Ltd.
  • Jennie and Company
  • Pierson
  • Vermillion
  • Vivid Entertainment
Distributed byFirst Independent Films
Release date
  • 4 October 1991 (1991-10-04) (London)
Running time
115 min
LanguageEnglish
Budget£2 million[1]
Box office$88,686 (US)
£292,525 (UK)[1]

Plot summary

Derek Bentley is an illiterate, epileptic young adult with developmental disabilities who falls into a gang led by a younger teenager named Christopher Craig. During the course of the robbery of a warehouse in Croydon, in which Bentley is encouraged to participate by Craig, the two become trapped by the police. Officers order Craig to put down his gun. Bentley, who by this time has already been arrested, shouts "Let him have it, Chris" – whether he means the phrase literally ("Let him have the gun") or figuratively ("Open fire!") is unclear. Craig fires, killing one officer and wounding another. Because he is a minor, Craig is given a prison sentence for the crime. Meanwhile, Bentley is sentenced to death under the English common law principle of joint enterprise, on the basis that his statement to Craig was an instigation to shoot. Bentley's family makes an effort for clemency which reaches Parliament. However, the Home Secretary (who has the power to commute the death sentence) ultimately declines to intervene. Despite his family's efforts and public support, Bentley is executed in 1953 within a month of being convicted, before Parliament takes any official action.

Cast

Production

Paul Bergman and Michael Asimow call attention to the cross examination scene, where "the camera closes in on [Bentley's] bruised face as the prosecutor and judge bombard him with questions he can barely comprehend."[2]

The film's end titles state that Bentley's sister, Iris, was still fighting for his pardon. Seven years after the film was made and after numerous unsuccessful campaigns to get Bentley a full pardon, his conviction was eventually overturned by the Court of Appeal on 30 July 1998, one year after Iris's death.[4]

Release

The film opened at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 4 October 1991 before expanding to 120 screens the following week.[5]

Reception

The film gained positive reviews from critics. It holds an 84% approval rating from the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "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."[6]

Tom Wiener said that the film displayed the writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade's "outrage toward a system hell-bent on vengeance"[7] and John Ivan Simon called the script "first rate, no nonsense".[8]

References
  1. "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 25.
  2. Bergman, Paul; Asimow, Michael (2006). Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 9780740754609. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  3. Hopeless, Bob (17 March 2006). "'Let Him Have It!' - The Case of Bentley and Craig". h2g2. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  4. "Craig's relief at Bentley Pardon". BBC News. BBC. 30 July 1998. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. Groves, Don (14 October 1991). "'Thieves' tops 'T2' in U.K.". Variety. p. 266.
  6. "Let Him Have It (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  7. Wiener, Tom (1 August 2002). The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide to Independent and Foreign Films on Video and DVD. New York: Random House Digital. p. 369. ISBN 9780812992076. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  8. Simon, John Ivan (2005). John Simon On Film: Criticism, 1982-2001. Milwaukee: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 9781557835079. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
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