Seven years after A Hard Day's Night came out and the world heard John, Paul,
George and Ringo spoke the Liverpudlian accent. We in America knew what
the main criticism of Violent Playground was, that few if any used Liverpool's
distinctive speech pattern.
The underrated Stanley Baker plays a sergeant with the Liverpool PD. who
reluctantly is working for the juvenile division. In said capacity he comes
across Anne Heywood and her juvenile delinquent brother David McCallum
in his salad days,
My earliest recollection of McCallum was in The Great Escape. Violent Playground is five years earlier and the best part of this film is the cinematography of post war Liverpool showing the still unrepaired damage
from the war. It's the background from which these kids come from and
pretty nasty too.
McCallum is suspected of being an arsonist responsible for several fires in
the city. He's a charismatic sort and the other juveniles don't want to turn
him in.
As for Baker he's in a conflict with growing feelings for Heywood and his
duty as a cop in regard to McCallum.
Violent Playground is a gritty realistic film even with the wrong accents
being used. It holds up well after half a century.
