Jackie lives in poverty with his widowed mother. In a bid to escape poverty he gets involved in a robbery that sees him sentenced to three years in Borstal where he meets a tough crowd, tougher than anything on the outside.

Dirk Bogarde
as Alfie Rawlins

Richard Attenborough
as Jackie Knowles

Jack Warner
as Governor

Jimmy Hanley
as Bill Foster

Barbara Murray
as Kitty Hurst

Andrew Crawford
as Casey

Patrick Holt
as Tigson

Thora Hird
as Mrs. Knowles

Michael Medwin
as Alf "Sparrow" Thompson

John Blythe
as Bossy Phillips
CinemaSerf
Richard Attenborough is the naive young "Jackie", in love with his girl "Kitty" (Barbara Murray) but prone to getting into bad company. It is after one such escapade that he finds himself sentenced to three years in borstal. Fortunately for him, the governor (Jack Warden) believes firmly that the pu...