As well as creating Sleuth and The Wicker Man, Tony Shaffer provided a memorable face off between Richard Burton and Billy Connolly in this neglected 1978 thriller. Set in a Catholic boarding school, Burton plays Father Goddard, a priest torn when his favourite pupil Benjamin (Dominic Guard) makes a confession to him. Benjamin claims to have murdered a drifter called Blakey (Connolly) who has set up camp in the school grounds. His confession is false, but proves to be the first move in a deadly game. Anthony Page directs an intense and complex thriller that makes the most of the unusual setting, and features the ingenious plot twists that Shaffer built his considerable reputation on.
Comments
Loading…