Sergeant Jack Truman (Stanley Baker) is 'volunteered' to be a Juvenile Liaison Officer. He is ridiculed by the other detectives. It's a struggle to win over the wild neighborhood children like the Murphy kids, the school principal, and the local priest (Peter Cushing). The kids' older brother Johnnie Murphy (David McCallum) leads a youth gang which is harassing an Asian kid. Truman is also pursuing an arsonist known as Firefly.
The problem with the kids is that there is a lot of fake acting. The problem has two causes. First, they are kids. It's asking a lot because second, the characters are supposed to be faking but they have to do it believably. It makes for hard acting. The skills needed are beyond the youngsters but they try their best. It is interesting to see a few minorities. The accent work is very light which makes it less arduous for non-Brits but less real. It's like an American youth crime movie and very comparable in quality. NCIS fans may recognize a very young McCallum. The movie actually gets to a darkly modern place. It's fascinating.
The problem with the kids is that there is a lot of fake acting. The problem has two causes. First, they are kids. It's asking a lot because second, the characters are supposed to be faking but they have to do it believably. It makes for hard acting. The skills needed are beyond the youngsters but they try their best. It is interesting to see a few minorities. The accent work is very light which makes it less arduous for non-Brits but less real. It's like an American youth crime movie and very comparable in quality. NCIS fans may recognize a very young McCallum. The movie actually gets to a darkly modern place. It's fascinating.