London psychiatrist Dr. Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) overpowers the gun-toting Frank Clements (Dirk Bogarde) in his attempt at robbery, and then arranges to have the handsome young career criminal to be a guest in his home for six months to undergo a social rehabilitation experiment to cure him of his criminal mind rather than go to prison. At first Clive’s American wife Glenda (Alexis Smith) objects to having this rude petty criminal in the house, but then falls for him and begins an affair right under her foolish egotistical hubby’s nose. All Clive seems to care about is using Frank as a guinea pig to see if his unconditional love and permissiveness techniques reach his patient’s good side to allow him to overcome his rotten childhood in a middle-class home and get rid of all his anti-social feelings. Glenda has little respect for her prominent hubby, who she says “likes winding people up like little toys.” While Frank is not a bit grateful at this opportunity to avoid prison and even unnecessarily intimidates the maid (Patricia McCarron) so that she quits; he also continues on a robbery spree, using the alibi he’s at home with the Esmonds when the suspicious Inspector Simmons (Hugh Griffith) checks up on him. That the shrink perjures himself, leaves whatever he might accomplish later on to be of questionable worth. He has to be viewed as a jerk, even though Losey has sympathy for his character’s uncompromising beliefs–something that’s not easy or warranted for the viewer to share.