Cosh Boy

In post-war London, Roy Walsh, a 16-year-old, leads a street gang that specializes in snatching women's purses. They operate under the cover of a boys' club, which lets them move about with less scrutiny. Their early raids establish the gang's notoriety on the streets.

During a club-sponsored dance, Roy meets Rene, the sister of one of his gang members. A spark develops between them as Rene appears drawn to Roy's swagger. The encounter marks the start of a dangerous, complicated relationship.

Rene visits a doctor and learns she is pregnant. She confides the news to Roy, hoping for support, but Roy refuses to take responsibility. The revelation heightens the tension between them and foreshadows increasingly tragic choices.

Unable to cope with the pregnancy and Roy's rejection, Rene attempts suicide. This act propels her mother and the community into motion and intensifies the fury aimed at Roy. The event deepens the film's social stakes.

Elsie Walsh's relationship with Bob Stevens culminates in marriage that very morning. Bob hopes the union will give him control over Roy and steer him toward respectability. Roy's mother seems drawn into a new, potentially abusive dynamic.

Roy's gang hits the Palindrome dance hall's box-office take in a bold heist. During the theft, Roy shoots a staff member, wounding him seriously. The incident marks a dramatic escalation in the gang's violence and Roy's recklessness.

That night, Rene's mother visits the hospital to see her daughter's recovery from the suicide attempt. She witnesses Rene's condition and becomes entwined in the affair surrounding Roy. The hospital scene underscores the stakes for Rene and her family.

A mob of concerned women accompanies Rene's mother to Elsie's flat, shouting to produce Roy. The crowd embodies the social pressure and fear surrounding Roy's crime. The confrontation builds toward a direct clash with Bob.

Bob arrives at Roy's door, urging Rene's mother to go home. He kicks in Roy's bedroom door and resolves to give the boy a 'sound thrashing' for his own good, brandishing a belt as a warning. The moment tightens the web of control Bob seeks to impose.

The police arrive as Bob stands ready with his belt. He claims to be Roy's stepfather, having married Elsie that morning. The revelation reframes the community's power dynamic and sets the stage for the detectives' response.

A senior officer congratulates Bob for bringing discipline to the boy and jokes about arresting another gang member to return later for Roy. The officers' light-hearted reaction contrasts with the brutality on screen and signals the system's complicity.

As the detectives walk away, Roy endures the thrashing at the hands of Bob. A mob of women encircles the window, crying out for Roy and bearing witness to the consequences of violence. The scene closes with Roy's cries echoing as the night grows quiet.