Violent Playground

Baker plays a Liverpool cop pulled off his sleuthing of a series of arson fires and given the job of Juvenile Liaison Officer. One of the families assigned to his jurisdiction, comprising McCallum, Heywood, and two young children, finds a particular place in his heart as he falls for the elder sister. McCallum proves to be responsible for the fires Baker had been investigating. When the youth is caught red-handed, he gets hold of a gun and holds out in a classroom using his young siblings as hostages. A tautly scripted effort is given a realistic bent through the atmospheric photography and the subtle handling of the children.