Gritty noir thriller directed by Joseph Losey. The film follows alcoholic writer David Graham (Michael Redgrave), who has 24 hours to save his son, Alec (Alec McCowan), from being hanged for murdering his girlfriend. Tyrannical car dealer Robert Stanford (Leo McKern) knows the truth of the matter but keeps Graham on the defensive. As the hours count down, Graham must fight against both Stanford and his own addictions if he is to find the real killer and save his sons life.