Two ignorant, semi-depraved brothers, dead-end kids abandoned by their parents and living (so to speak) in a condemned house near Newark, New Jersey, kidnap a drunken Irish dandy and hold him for ransom, but get more than they bargained for after daylight and sobriety transforms their prisoner into a cunning thief (and surrogate father). Director Alan J. Pakula makes little attempt to open up the stage play that inspired the film, and the artificial theatricality of the setting and dialogue doesn't translate well to the big screen. But the often absorbing dynamics between each of the three high-caliber actors is enough reason to recommend the play itself, if only to stage buffs.
