This hung in the back of my mind somewhere, as a kid at the end of the 'sixties - where had I heard of this programme's title/name? A parent? ! Teacher... in the street? Even in the playground?!?!?
My inquisitive mind, on finding it out on release on the web, along with some other programme included in the purchase, entitled 'Spindoe' which I'm not familiar with, made me buy it.
I wasn't disappointed though... a cocky, hard, flash, arrogant and unforgiving young Peter Egan, brushes aside any morality, takes on any risky job of robbery, including no-holds barred violence and works his way up through the ranks of Lennox's (Timothy West) criminal empire of 'Scot-Yanks' and the aspiration to remove Lennox rather than work for him.
Even Timothy West as the suave but unforgiving gangster surprises. There's ample support also from a more 'working- class' Donald Burton in the firing line. Burton had played Captain Nialls (later) in the TV series 'Warship' and was also married to Carroll Baker, yes, she of 'The Big Country'. I'm not saying Egan hasn't excelled but he's never done anything better here in my mind and maybe he was offered other roles after this in this vein that he may have even turned down (who knows?) but he'd be a right 'Ray Winstone' in typecasting by now!!!!
As the previous reviewer says, if you can overlook the black-and-white cheapish TV production values, which makes it appear like it's filmed in your own front room with a video camera and the 'sixties background music etc., Egan's performance alone will impress you and make it all worthwhile. It's so different in that aspect from even just five years later from 'The Sweeney' or anything expensively-American of course.
My inquisitive mind, on finding it out on release on the web, along with some other programme included in the purchase, entitled 'Spindoe' which I'm not familiar with, made me buy it.
I wasn't disappointed though... a cocky, hard, flash, arrogant and unforgiving young Peter Egan, brushes aside any morality, takes on any risky job of robbery, including no-holds barred violence and works his way up through the ranks of Lennox's (Timothy West) criminal empire of 'Scot-Yanks' and the aspiration to remove Lennox rather than work for him.
Even Timothy West as the suave but unforgiving gangster surprises. There's ample support also from a more 'working- class' Donald Burton in the firing line. Burton had played Captain Nialls (later) in the TV series 'Warship' and was also married to Carroll Baker, yes, she of 'The Big Country'. I'm not saying Egan hasn't excelled but he's never done anything better here in my mind and maybe he was offered other roles after this in this vein that he may have even turned down (who knows?) but he'd be a right 'Ray Winstone' in typecasting by now!!!!
As the previous reviewer says, if you can overlook the black-and-white cheapish TV production values, which makes it appear like it's filmed in your own front room with a video camera and the 'sixties background music etc., Egan's performance alone will impress you and make it all worthwhile. It's so different in that aspect from even just five years later from 'The Sweeney' or anything expensively-American of course.
