This short film (only 43 mins) may possibly have been made as a public service exercise by Rank because it seems an unlikely piece of material to have been attempted as a commercial venture. But for what it is, a cautionary tale about the consequences of drunk driving, the lesson is acceptably presented in a surprisingly intense and well-directed little film which I even found to be quite suspenseful in places.
For such a short running time the characters are reasonably well fleshed out, and for the most part well played by the cast involved. Barry Letts in particular does a fine acting job throughout. Admittedly the part of Reggie is only a caricature at best, and although the roles played by Dermot Walsh (particularly in the last few minutes) and Susan Shaw verge on being overplayed this contributes to the intensity of the film as a whole. It is also good to see Patricia Hayes, an actress familiar to me through countless TV appearances back in the 60s and 70s, in one of her early screen roles.
For a British film of this time I also find this film to be quite fascinating in its depiction of class. The drunken yobbo here is not the working-class mug played by Barry Letts, who retains a degree of integrity throughout, but the upper class Captain (Dermot Walsh) who consistently makes it clear how little he thinks of his social inferiors. The sad part about this film for me is that I still recognise him, and the socially aspirant Susan Shaw character, however broadly drawn they are here, in people around me today.
For such a short running time the characters are reasonably well fleshed out, and for the most part well played by the cast involved. Barry Letts in particular does a fine acting job throughout. Admittedly the part of Reggie is only a caricature at best, and although the roles played by Dermot Walsh (particularly in the last few minutes) and Susan Shaw verge on being overplayed this contributes to the intensity of the film as a whole. It is also good to see Patricia Hayes, an actress familiar to me through countless TV appearances back in the 60s and 70s, in one of her early screen roles.
For a British film of this time I also find this film to be quite fascinating in its depiction of class. The drunken yobbo here is not the working-class mug played by Barry Letts, who retains a degree of integrity throughout, but the upper class Captain (Dermot Walsh) who consistently makes it clear how little he thinks of his social inferiors. The sad part about this film for me is that I still recognise him, and the socially aspirant Susan Shaw character, however broadly drawn they are here, in people around me today.