The Squeeze ***½ (1977, Stacy Keach, David Hemmings, Edward Fox, Stephen Boyd, Carol White, Freddie Starr) – Classic Movie Review 11,430

Director Michael Apted’s 1977 gangster film The Squeeze is a tough and gritty Seventies British action thriller aping an American genre, in which disgraced, alcoholic detective Jim Naboth (Stacy Keach), fired from the police force for being drunk on duty, is given a second chance when kidnappers snatch his ex-wife (Carol White) and daughter and make a large ransom demand. Naboth teams up with his wife’s husband (Edward Fox) to try to sort it out rather than paying the ransom.

Orchestrating much brutality and an interesting, extremely capable second-level cast, including David Hemmings, Edward Fox, Carol White and comedian Freddie Starr as Teddy, director Apted proves that he is better at handling people than action. But the action is still strong, and the acting and writing are excellent. Stephen Boyd is also featured in a major, final role as a gangster, Vic.

Leon Griffiths, the creator of Minder, adapts the novel Whose Little Girl Are You? by Welsh novelist Bill James (born 1929), aka James Tucker, under the pseudonym David Craig.

They all did well on a tight budget of $1.4 million.

Explaining the film’s comparative lack of success in his native US, Keach said the film ‘didn’t translate in America but it was well regarded and successful in England.’ Apted called it an ‘informed look at the British underworld’ but production company and distributor Warner Bros considered it ‘too indigenous’.

The film was shot in October 1976 in London where the producers enlisted ex-gangster Bob Ramsey to act as a contact between the film unit and the local underworld to cut harassment in location shooting in areas where criminals were operating.

Local people in the area were hired as extras and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones accidentally became one of them.

The main cast are Stacy Keach as Jim Naboth, David Hemmings as Keith, Edward Fox as Foreman, Stephen Boyd as Vic, Carol White as Jill, Freddie Starr as Teddy, Hilary Gasson as Barbara, Rod Beacham as Dr Jenkins, Stewart Harwood as Des, Alan Ford as Taff, Roy Marsden as Barry, Leon Greene as Commissionaire, Lucinda Duckett as Sharon, Alison Portes as Christine, Marjie Lawrence as Beryl, Maureen Sweeney, Lucinda Duckett, Alison Portes, Keith Miles, Pam Brighton, Merdelle Jordine, Marjie Lawrence, Lucita Lijertwood [Lucinda Lijertwood], Lionel Ngakane, Michael O’Hagan, Ken Sicklen, Lee Strand, Bob Ramsey, and Steve Jones as extra.

RIP Michael  Apted (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,430

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