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Let Him Have It
By Alistair Lawrence,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
British crime drama has swearing, violence, neurodiversity.
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Let Him Have It
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What's the Story?
LET HIM HAVE IT dramatizes the real-life 1950s British trial of Derek Bentley (Christopher Eccleston), a young man with health and developmental issues who was accused of murdering a policeman.
Is It Any Good?
A retelling of an infamous case from British legal history, this 1991 drama pivots around a trial that caused outrage at the time and led to lengthy years of campaigning in the decades that followed. Let Him Have It is equal parts legal drama and character study, and is led by an understated but thoughtful performance from Eccleston as Bentley, a murder suspect with diminished capabilities. However, Eccleston does appear slightly too old to play the 18-year-old Bentley, and like a lot of movies based on real events, the plot is slowed by the amount of key scenes needed to impart critical information.
In contrast, the transformation of fellow murder suspect, Christopher Craig, from a schoolboy with underworld links to a manic shooter, feels rushed, despite Paul Reynolds' best efforts to inject an unstable energy into the role. While uneven, Let Him Have It manages to remain watchable because of the controversial chain of events that it depicts. It's a valuable history lesson, but far from a classic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how neurodiversity was portrayed in Let Him Have It. Were the various conditions Derek lived with depicted sensitively by the filmmakers? How did the other characters behave toward Derek? Do you think Derek would have been treated differently if he had been arrested today?
Derek was sentenced to death for his role in a murder. Did you think it was a fair sentence? Is any crime deserving of a death sentence or should it be abolished like it now is in the U.K.?
Talk about the violence in the movie. What did the movie have to say about violence? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
Discuss the strong language used. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
The movie is based on real events. What other movies have you seen that are based on true stories? Do such movies change how you feel toward them? If so, in what way?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 6, 1991
- On DVD or streaming: December 13, 2005
- Cast: Christopher Eccleston , Paul Reynolds , Tom Courtenay
- Director: Peter Medak
- Studio: Fine Line Features
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: History
- Run time: 115 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language and violence
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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