The film deals with the story of Johnson, a cute British police investigator who is obsessed with the issue of child sexual harassment and causing him bad experiences. Over time, Johnson falls into one of the most important cases while, unfortunately, he kills the suspect in interrogation as he begins to walk in a mysterious direction.
Embedded in a 'realistic' police scene, dialogue and situations now have a ring of arty melodrama. Fascinating, nevertheless, with outstanding performances from Connery and (especially) Bannen.
Fantastica Daily
September 21, 2005
A fascinating and intense psychological thriller. This is one Connery fans should seek out.
Radio Times
May 12, 2015
Gritty police programmes are now so much a part of the TV landscape that it is hard to realise that a feature like The Offence once packed quite a punch.
There's a powerful confrontation of authority and accused between police sergeant Sean Connery and suspected child molester Ian Bannen in Sidney Lumet's The Offence. A brilliant scene, however, does not in itself make for a brilliant overall feature.
It's highly theatrical -- perhaps just a little too highly theatrical for the more or less realistic context -- but it's been staged by Lumet for maximum effect.
The third collaboration between Sean Connery and the director Sidney Lumet is an unsettling glimpse into the toxic mind of a policeman who has been polluted by the horrors witnessed over the course of his career.
