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A Masterpiece!

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

I don't know what's odder about this expose on British juvenile delinquency issues in the 1950's: the strange helium voice of James Kenney as the lead delinquent, or the fact that Joan Collins' mother here is played by the cockney Hermione Baddeley. It's still a well made film, superbly photographed in what appears to be the oldest parts of London (remnants of Fagin's hideaway in "Oliver Twist") and crisply paced. It's obvious from the start that Kenney and his cohorts are up to no good when they stalk a drunk little old lady staggering home from a pub. They appear to have a knife, but no evidence of using it is ever given other than to threaten life or limb to get ahold of these poor old women's few valuables. For a Yank like me to get into this, it took many years of film research understanding various British dialects and catching onto little bits of British culture. But in my years of film study, I have realized one thing: British filmmakers seemed to take more chances from an early age and thus, many of their films seem far advanced over American movies of the same period.Joining Miss Baddley here (but unfortunately not in any scenes together) is the nearly unrecognizable Hermione Gingold, with platinum blonde hair and excessive jewelry, only identifiable when she speaks. Her characterization of a seemingly over the hill party girl is hysterical, but unfortunately other than become a victim of Keenan's mugging and later a witness, has little to do. Baddeley is more ferocious, confronting Keeney's parents when she finds out "scandalous" news about her precious daughter. Collins, very soft and feminine here, comes off closer to a young Jean Simmons or Audrey Hepburn rather than the vixens she played a few years later in biblical era epics like "Land of the Pharaohs" and "Esther and the King", and certainly as far from her "Dynasty" character of Alexis Carrington as you can imagine. This has some very tense moments, particularly Keeney's dealings with future stepfather Robert Ayres who has no hesitation of slapping him when Keeney sasses his mother (Betty Ann Davies). The final scene is a true shocker, showing the horrific truth in what lies beneath the surface of thugs like Keeney as they are brought down to their knees and forced to pay for their sins.

Difficult to realise that this was amongst the first films released with an X certificate.It was probably to ensure that impressionable teenagers did not have the opportunity to copy the antics of the characters in this film.Joan Collins shines amongst the dross.Having seen her boyfriend is beaten up by a gang.She then goes with the leader of the gang who treats her roughly.He also has a huge Oedipus complex,and almost seems to be doing a rather poor impersonation of James Cagney in White Heat.There are also parts of this film which are reminiscent of Brighton Rock and The Blue Lamp.The gang stages a raid on a wrestling arena which goes wrong.The leader shoots a member of staff.Subsequently they have a discussion about who would go down for the crime which clearly reflects the Derek Bentley case.The climax is so overblown it is quite laughable.

This movie made when Western civilisation was going to be torn down by the outbreak of Juvenile Delinquents, and the pimply youth were building forces in the US as well, so follow Cosh Boy with "When Youth Runs Wild" (1945). The US film is not as funny as the UK one but still has all the traditional delinquent-syndrome markers.Cosh Boy is a real hoot, especially the strange pitch of their voices or, perhaps this is the what delinquency does to the vocal cords. Making their coshes in trade classes at school was a goody, what or where was the teacher while these illegal instruments were being turned out. Suppose the old prostitutes were lucky that the boys weren't doing metal work at school or they would have been done over with knuckle dusters. Loved the 50/50 split: ten bob for you and fifteen bob for me, and the cosh wielding drongo didn't notice the shortchange.Loved the fashion. The best was the bloke in the two-toned car coat with tied waist topped off with a Homberg hat. Sooo hip.

Couldn't agree more with the previous review. I caught the last 15 minutes on cable. I have yet to see more wooden acting -- just standing there and saying the lines!If I had been the Cosh Boy I would have just slugged my stepfather on the jaw and run away. Or, if American, shot him with my handy revolver.