

A rebellious youth, sentenced to a boy’s reformatory for robbing a bakery, rises through the ranks of the institution by impressing its Governor through his prowess as a long distance runner. He is encouraged to compete in an upcoming race, but faces ridicule from his peers.
Acting
Tom Courtenay's sneer could curdle milk.
Direction
Richardson's flashbacks cut like a switchblade.
Writing
Sillitoe's script hates your feel-good sports movie.

Director
Tony Richardson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of 1960s 'kitchen sink realism'—working-class Britain on screen, unpolished and pissed off.
Author Alan Sillitoe refused to let Hollywood studios touch it; insisted on British production to preserve the ending's defiance.
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