VICTIM

Victim is a 1961 gay film about a blackmail ring targeting homosexuals in London. Barrett is a young gay man working at a construction site. He is accused of fictitiously drawing salaries for the last seven months. He goes on the run from police officers. He tries to call a prominent lawyer named Melville Farr. The lawyer declines to talk to him. Eventually police arrest him and they highly suspect he is a victim of blackmail. He however refuses to cooperate and hangs himself in the cell.
Melville Farr is called by police after they find newspaper cuttings of him in Barrett's possessions. He tells officers that he knew Barrett because he worked near and had offered him a lift in his car on several occasions. Barrett's friend Eddy is also interrogated after identifying the body. Eddy later finds a letter meant for Barrett which contains a photograph. The photograph is of Barrett and Farr together in a car. Eddy takes it to Farr. Farr realizes Barrett was a victim of blackmail and is very sad he ignored it. He had thought Barrett wanted to blackmail him. He swears to put to justice the blackmailers.
With the help of Eddy, Farr identifies other gay men who are being blackmailed. By then the British anti sodomy laws meant you could be imprisoned for being gay. Non of the victims wants to accept they are being blackmailed for fear of being exposed or sent to prison. Farr goes for the blackmailer which rocks his marriage apart. Together with police officers they lay a trap for the blackmailers. He decides to sacrifice his law career. His homosexuality will be exposed by the blackmailers in court and he will have to loose his standing in the profession. He chooses to risk and the blackmailers are arrested.