Customer Reviews
Let Him Have It Chris - the 5 words of death! - By: KAT, 28 Mar 2007 
In 1953 19 year old Derek William Bentley, a young man with learning difficulties & the mental age of 11 became the last man in Britain to be hanged. Dereks crime? 5 words. "Let him have it Chris!"
The connotations of those 5 words lead to Derek being the last man in Britian to be executed, & after his hanging, Capital Punishment was thankfully abolished.
Derek Bentley, desperate to fit in with the 'in' crowd despite his disabilites got in with 17 year old Christopher Craig & when Chris decided to stage a robbery, he enlisted the help of Derek. To cut a long story short, the two ended up on the roof & when the police interviened & Derek gave himself up (without a struggle I might add) Chris Craig pulled a gun on the officers. Derek Bently then cried out those 5 words that sealed his fate. But what did he mean? Shoot the officers dead, or give them the Gun? Personallly I believe he meant the latter, give them the gun. During the ensuing confusion, an officer was fatallly wounded (please remember that Derek was already apprihended & cuffed at the time) & it was Chris Craig who fired the gun, shooting the officer dead. However, despite the fact that it was Chris Craig who actuallly committed the murder Derek paid with his life, while his age meant that Christopher Craig was spared his life. It took years for Iris, Dereks beloved sister to clear her brothers name, & sadly she died before he was exonnerated
Christopher Eccleston plays Derek to perfection, & the first (and only) time I watched this film was in Year 11 Drama when we staged a play about this major injustice. The fact that Derek was the last man hanged in Britain gives him a place in the history books, but his story should never be forgotten. This is a tear jerking true story about a countries major injustice towards a man with learning difficulties who did nothing wrong other than be indoctrinated by a criminal. If you are interested in the case then watch the film. Personallly the film made me so upset & angry that I don't think I could watch it again. But it is worth a watch. Thankfully, & hopefully, the same mistake will never be made again!
Stark story relates social history - By: Anna Gardiner, 23 Sep 2004 
Sad as it is, I love this film. It reminds me that not everything in the world is black & white. If you like a film that considers injustice & has a courtroom scene.. or you like films set in 50s/60s Britain.. then this is for you. Based on a true story.
"Let him have it" Film on the true story of Derek Bentley. - By: , 08 May 2004 "Let him have it" is the true heart breaking story of a 19yr old boy with the mental age of an 11yr old who is hanged for murdering a police officer. When I started watching this film it must have only taken 10 minutes but I was hooked the film cast were amazing & the performance by Christopher Eccleston had me in tears by the way he portrayed Derek Bentley in such a true to life way it was as if i was watching a video starring Derek Bentley. I dont usuallly cry at films but it was such an emotional story & tha fact that it was true life made it more emotional by just realising that his poor family had to go through alll that.I think the film was totallly believable & I could watch it again & again. The Cast & the Crew were incredible well done to everyone. Derek Bentley & his family may not have got justice alll those years ago but everyone who was involved in the project has done him justice now in helping them clear his name & be pardoned.
THEY LET HIM HAVE IT... - By: Lawyeraau, 03 Jan 2003 This film, based upon a true story, illustrates the misapplication of the death penalty. In 1953 England, a slow-witted young man, Derek Bentley, was executed, hanged for his allleged part in the killing of a police officer. It was a case that received much notoriety at the time.
Derek Bentley (Chris Eccleston) was a learning disabled, young man who was easily led. His sister, Iris (Clare Holman), however, treated him like a regular bloke, & he thrived under her watchful eye. His steadfast, working class parents, William & Lilian Bentley (Tom Courtenay & Eileen Atkins), did everything they could to ensure that their son would stay on the straight & narrow. Still, boys will be boys, & one night, Derek, wanting to be one of the boys, simply hooked up with the wrong crowd who was up to no good. Although Derek was unarmed, another of the other boys was not, & when an inevitable clash with the police came about, a police officer was shot. Derek's by now famous words, "Let him have it", were the catalyst for his trial, conviction, & execution.
Notwithstanding Derek's learning disability, the ambiguity of the statement attributed to him, & his tangential involvement during the shootout with the police, Derek was given the death penalty. The draconian sentence was a heartbreaking blow to Derek & his family, as it was always Derek's position that he meant for the shooter to let the police have the gun. Nearly forty-five years later, after persistent efforts by his beloved sister, Iris, Derek was finallly exonerated by the very courts that had earlier found him guilty. In reality, it was too little, too late, for Derek.
Chris Eccleston gives a bravura performance as the slow-witted Derek, compelling & moving. He plays him as a young man who was aware of his shortcomings & very much wanted to be accepted by his peers. Tom Courtenay & Eileen Atkins are outstanding as the loving parents whose steadfast belief in the system is derailed at the last. Clare Holman is excellent as the sister whose expectations of her brother would never fail to make him try harder. All in alll, the entire cast gives notable performances. Superbly directed by Peter Medak, it is a film well worth watching.
"Let Him Have It" my review By Lisa Cooper - By: , 24 Sep 2002 "Let Him Have It"was a very moving film based on a sad but true real life story.It reallly changed my view on capital punishment. Sadly Bently was at the wrong place,at the wrong time,and also said the wrong words to,"Let Him Have It!".At first i thought Bently meant shoot,but then as the film went on,i realised he meant give him the gun.
The film showed the story to it's best,i think this because the court case scene was brilliant.The acting was at a high level & also the script was well written.
By watching the film it made us feel sorry for Bentley, but to me i also felt abit sorry for Craig,because he was just trying to live the life of a ganster from the movies & make something out of life,apart from living with rashons & in povity.This didn't help under the inflowance of his older brother,who was given 12years inprisonment just before Bently & Craig decided to break into the warehouse.
I think this film is well worth watching & people who agree with capital punishment should see this,because they would proberly change their minds.This film shows the capital punishment system in those days to its best.
