In 1950s England, slow-witted Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Chris and Derek's friendship leads to their involvement in the true case which would forever shake England's belief in capital punishment.

Christopher Eccleston
as Derek Bentley

Paul Reynolds
as Christopher Craig

Tom Courtenay
as William Bentley

Eileen Atkins
as Lilian Bentley

Iain Cuthbertson
as Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe

Tom Bell
as Fairfax

Clive Revill
as Pierrepoint

Serena Scott Thomas
as Stella

Clare Holman
as Iris Bentley

Mark McGann
as Niven Craig