Intense, abrasive, unrelenting drama with a supercharged Sean Connery as a detective sergeant who goes over the top with his questioning of a subject (excellent Ian Bannen) held in connection with an assault on a schoolgirl. Originally an acclaimed stage play by John Hopkins (who adapted this version for the screen), the dialogue and situations are sustained at rather too high a pitch for cinematic comfort but director Sidney Lumet seems determined to confront us with the sordid drama head-on.