Violent Playground (1958)

David McCallum features strongly in this rather gritty story of "Johnnie", a bit of a pyromaniac, who falls foul of local policeman "Truman" (Stanley Baker) who is charged with dealing with the town's more violently recalcitrant youth. The latter character is not just about law enforcement, though, he is about rehabilitation and the gist of the story is to demonstrate that, whilst never easy or straightforward, there is always a certain degree of hope. "Truman" alights on the young "Johnnie" after he encounters his young niece and nephew running petty - and quite clever - scams on their neighbours. When he takes them home, he sees that their mother "Cathie" (Anne Heywood) is trying to do her best against formidable odds and that their other life influence is caught up in the semi-legal world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. In itself, the story is nothing particularly remarkable - but the characters are engaging, not always likeable, but they have depth which Basil Dearden takes his time to let us experience. The writing is pretty overly simplistic, though, and Baker really only has one gear as an actor and though he isn't bad here, he falls to resonate much as a man who might actually care. Visually, this film shows us a Liverpool that was still in the grips of post war doldrums, and the photography does much to engender the sense of need felt by many of the working class residents; it also shows us that it wasn't just London that had a rich mix of "personalities" embedded within the community - some tolerated more than others! Most folk watching now will only recall McCallum from his "Duckie" role in "NCIS". This film clearly demonstrates that for a while in the late 1950s, he was an actor prepared to push boundaries and tackle some borderline taboo topics with enthusiasm and skill.