Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- oppressive
- bleak
- serious film night
- crime cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized a powerful study of a brutalized policeman and praised the performances, while finding the dense dialogue and oppressive direction overly leaden.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Johnson’s years investigating murders, rapes, and other felonies have hardened and destabilized him before the interrogation begins.
The interrogation room and other static police interiors trap Johnson and Baxter inside a sustained confrontation.
Johnson’s interrogation of Baxter turns into a brutal assault that exposes the violence embedded in his professional identity.
The central encounter unfolds through dense, high-pressure questioning and increasingly unstable exchanges between Johnson and Baxter.
Films like The Offence, and why
Serpico
shared police procedural intensity, institutional violence, and morally corrosive investigation
12 Angry Men
shared claustrophobic interrogation drama, psychological disintegration, and moral ambiguity
Prince of the City
shared neo-noir atmosphere, troubled law enforcement protagonist, and bleak urban crime drama
The Pledge
shared harrowing crime investigation, procedural realism, and scrutiny of damaged masculinity
Movie Details
- Director
- Sidney Lumet
- Release Date
- 1973-01-11
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (182)
Cast
- Sean Connery
- Trevor Howard
- Vivien Merchant
- Ian Bannen
- Peter Bowles
- Derek Newark
- Ronald Radd
- John Hallam
- Anthony Sagar
- Maxine Gordon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Offence about?
- A psychologically battered British detective crosses the line into brutality while interrogating a suspect whose crimes have already poisoned his mind.
- What is The Offence like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Offence as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Offence violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Offence as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Offence?
- Critics broadly recognized a powerful study of a brutalized policeman and praised the performances, while finding the dense dialogue and oppressive direction overly leaden.
- Which films are like The Offence?
- Films with a similar feel include Serpico, 12 Angry Men, Prince of the City, and The Pledge.
- How long is The Offence?
- The Offence runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Offence?
- In United States, The Offence streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
