SYNOPSIS
“After 20 years, what Detective-Sergeant Johnson has seen and done is destroying him.” — In their third screen collaboration, the iconic Sean Connery and director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) plumb the depths of what is perhaps their most psychologically complex creation: a member of the British Police Force who has perhaps witnessed one horror too many.
Two decades into a career marked by fraught investigations into murders and sex crimes, Detective-Sergeant Johnson (Connery) loses all composure whilst conducting an interrogation with a suspected rapist, assaulting him and, subsequently, beating him to death. The lead-up to this moment is charted across the course of the film in a careful flashback structure… and the lines between guilt and innocence, protector and sadist, become ineradicably blurred.
Released only one year before the director’s Serpico and almost a decade before Prince of the City, The Offence offers an early Lumetian investigation into the psyche of a policeman under duress, and the potential for corruption within a high-stakes profession. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Offence for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK in a special Dual Format edition.
Reviews:
“Up there with Get Carter as one of the best Brit thrillers of the ’70s ***** “ – Total Film
SPECIAL FEATURES
New 1080p presentation of the film on the Blu-ray
Optional English SDH for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Optional isolated music and effects track
Video interview with stage director Christopher Morahan
Video interview with assistant art director Chris Burke
Video interview with costume designer Evangeline Harrison
Video interview with composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle
Original theatrical trailer
36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring a new essay on the film by critic Mike Sutton, a vintage interview about the film with Sidney Lumet, and rare archival imagery
