The Squeeze (1977)

English filmmakers in the league of director Michael Apted are celebrated for their adroit presentations of hard-bitten realities. Stressed and flawed heroes are pressed in a vise of circumstance that creates dramatic tensions that have as much to do with moral suspense as plot resolution. Apted’s The Squeeze (1977) explores the complex conflicts of a drunkard detective who is canned from Scotland Yard for his boozy ways. When his wife is snatched by sicko thugs, the copper must bring all his deductive intuition and willpower to put down the bottle long enough to save his bride.