The Young Savages

A film about a murder investigation in New York. In Harlem three young men stab a blind Puerto Rican boy to death in the street. The case looks open and shut: there are witnesses, the defendants are known, and the public expects the death penalty. Prosecutor Hank Bell takes it. But Bell grew up in that same neighbourhood; he changed his name, got out and left his past behind. As he pushes the investigation he sees that each of the three boys is in a different situation, and that the easy case is not easy at all. The subject is not the crime but how justice gets made. Everyone wants a fast result: the press, the politicians and Bell's own office. The narrative shows that pressure directly. Part of it was shot in real streets and the New York of the period looks documentary. Burt Lancaster plays the prosecutor and was also one of the producers. One of John Frankenheimer's early films. A solid example for anyone who likes courtroom and crime drama and the socially engaged American cinema of the 1960s. For a viewer expecting hard suspense, the film is built on investigation and argument, with little action.