Review of The Offence (1973) by John E — 01 Mar 2011

The Offence proudly boasts the best and most variegated performance I have ever seen Sean Connery give. That alone makes the movie worth seeing; he makes an interesting film choice and completely sheds himself of the James Bond hero image for which he is best known.

And, as is to be expected of Sidney Lumet, his technical skills as a director are always marvelous. I do believe the film could have done with some cutting here and there to make it a little more streamlined as some sections seem to drag.

This is not a happy movie; there is no dark humor, no sarcastic winking, no cynical mirth as in many of Lumet's other pieces. This is a very dark and dank character study (I do so love character studies) of a cop who cracks in the worst possible way; the insidious and invidious parts of the job have penetrated the very being of Sgt.

Johnson in a way that makes him not a helluva lot better than the perhaps-pedophile he kills. I don't know why this movie is not more recognized in Lumet's oeuvre or Connery's filmography.