The Young Poisoner’s Handbook **** (1995, Hugh O’Conor, Antony Sher, Ruth Sheen, Roger Lloyd Pack, Charlotte Coleman, Tobias Arnold, Frank Mills) – Classic Movie Review 5542

Hugh O’Conor gets his first starring role with co-writer/ director Benjamin Ross’s dark and provocative British crime comedy drama, in which he plays intelligent but amoral British teenager Graham Young, an amateur toxicologist unwisely paroled from prison after testing his theories on family, friends and co-workers, with fatal results.

Based on based on the true story of Graham Young, known locally as The Bovingdon Poisoner, the film is a thoroughly nasty piece of work. But it usually finds an appreciative audience among the cynically minded for the intelligence and high quality of its writing, directing and performances. Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs up.

O’Conor is startlingly good in the wicked role. Ruth Sheen plays Molly, who tells Graham: ‘You contaminate everything you touch. I’m going to scrub you till you are raw.’

It is rated R for murders by poisoning, strong language and some nude photographs.

In his sole feature writing credit, actor Jeff Rawle, Seventies TV’s Billy Liar, co-writes with Ross.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5542

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