Publisher: CinemaSerf March 28, 2022
I'm not a fan of kids in films - but Scots lad Jon Whiteley (who only passed away in May this year at the age of 75) was one who proved the exception. This was his first film with Dirk Bogarde (the other being the "Spanish Gardener" (1956)) and there is a certain chemistry between the two as Bogarde portrays a violent man "Chris Lloyd" who has just topped his wife's lover after a brawl. With Whiteley "Robbie" the only witness, he abducts him and flees before the pursuing police. What ensues now is a trip, fraught with danger, on which the two start to bond. The young boy, fleeing a terror of his own, starts to wear away the veneer of disregard felt by the man for his charge and despite himself, "Chris" starts to care for the fellow. It's a genuine story - it has some nice touches, the photography from gritty, bombed-out London to the beautiful Scottish coast lends authenticity to it, and the dialogue - though generally quite sparing, is well delivered in what is largely a successful two hander. Certainly one of Dirk Bogarde's better, more sincere, performances and well worth a watch.