Villain

Villain is a grim but effective piece of work that nicely represents the 1970's take on the "cops & crooks" genre. The script is laced with wit and acid cynicism, portraying a world where morality is relative for everyone, heroes included. Richard Burton anchors the story with a carefully controlled lead performance, creating a crime boss who shifts from emotionally needy to sociopathically brutal in the blink of an eye. His performance is impressive because he avoids flashy melodramatics, making the shift of moods an internal process that makes the character terrifyingly unpredictable. Equally important are the support performances by Ian McShane and Nigel Davenport: McShane's hustler offers just the right mix of easy charm and unsentimental survival instinct while Davenport's cop measures up to the menace of Burton's performance by offsetting it with his own calm, cool presence and a sarcastic, ego-deflating sense of humor. Also worthy of note are fine character turns by Joss Ackland as a perpetually troubled criminal collaborator and Gerald Sinden as an amusingly sleazy politician addicted to call girls. Finally, Michael Tuchner's direction gives the film a very masculine sense of style, particularly in a few hard-hitting scenes of violence: the best is a payroll heist that erupts into brutal hand-to-hand brawling. In short, Villain is a solid addition to the canon of British crime films and worth a look to anyone who liked Get Carter or The Long Good Friday. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide