JLRVancouver "Villain" is often cited as the beginning of the end of Richard Burton's, who plays a homosexual cockney career-criminal, dominance as a box office draw. The film itself is a reasonably good crime drama, with some interesting characters and a good script, and Burton is fine although it is odd to hear him speaking in other than in his usual impeccable English. Ian McShane is very good as Burton's bi-sexual pimp boyfriend, by far the most complex and ambiguous character in the film. The central heist is interesting from modern perspectives as there are no elaborate security-systems to defeat with clever techno-gimmicks, and not a lot of guns: the job is mostly a brawl between Burton's goons and company goons. The movie is a bit bloody (by early '70s standards) but neither as violent as "Clockwork Orange", nor as cold-blooded as "Get Carter", two films to which I have seen "Villain" compared (as indicators of a trend towards violent realism). Overall, a good but not great movie that will appeal to fans of gangster film and of Richard Burton (who should be credited for taking a gamble to play against type).

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Richard Burton burnt out on booze and after staring in some half dozen films, mostly flops, with his wife Elizabeth Taylor tried to and did make a comeback in what was his break-out movie "Villain" that put him back on the map or in demand. Burton playing against type as the mama's boy bi-sexual mob boss Vic Dakin who's major love interest in the film besides his bed ridden mother, Cathleen Nesbitt,is boyish looking fellow mobster and full time pimp Wolfe "Wolfie" Lissner, Ian McShane. In an amazing acting job Burton pulls it-not his pants- off in his both vicious as well as sensitive portrayal as the London gangster making you almost forget all the previous movies that he was in as the guy who gets the pretty girl not only throughout the film but as well as in the end of it, when he spots someone better looking, too.Brutal and sadistic Burton as Vic Dakin always gets his way in the operations of the East End mob that he controls but the next job he's involved in he has to take orders from his former associate Frank Fietcher, T.P McKenna, whom he had since had a falling out with. Added to all that Fietcher insists that his brother in law the weak willed and ulcer ridden Edgar Louis, Joss Akland, to take part in the gang's latest job the payroll robbery of an East London plastic company. What really gets Vic's goat is that his male lover "Wolfie" is making eyes as well as jumping into bed with the beautiful party girl Venetia, Fiona Lewis, whom he wants to get rid of.***SPOILERS**** After robbing the company payroll of some 70,000 pound sterling the money is entrusted with Edgar Louis who together with Louis himself in gone missing. This has Vic blow a fit in feeling that he was screwed by both Louis and his brother in law Fietcher out of his share of the loot. After kidnapping Louis out of his hospital bed Vic has him track down where he hid the money only to come up empty with an outraged Vic blasting him -in his ulcers-to death. It's then that a trap in sprung on Vic not only by the London police but dozen of eye witnesses who caught him red handed committing Louis's murder. It was too late to save Louis' life whom because of his serious and getting worse by the hour ulcer condition didn't have that long to live anyway. But by catching him in the act it put the crazed psycho killer Vic Dakin behind bars and away from society for the rest of his natural life.

Leofwine_draca VILLAIN is a fine British gangland film which stands up there with GET CARTER as one of the meanest and grittiest British gangster movies of the 1970s. Certainly it's a memorable effort, featuring an icy Richard Burton playing a truly repulsive master criminal who is behind a series of violent deaths and robberies. Burton's character was a thinly-disguised version of Ronnie Kray and it's one of his most sinister performances.A pity, then, that this film is really obscure especially in comparison to the likes of GET CARTER. I caught it on late night TV but as I understand it's remained fairly hard to come by over the years. It's a pity as this offers solid thrills from beginning to end, plus edgy content and some surprisingly graphic interludes. It also has a quite wonderful supporting cast of famous faces to see it by.Ian McShane bags a suave part as Burton's young lover in scenes which must have been considered quite racy for the time. The reliable Nigel Davenport is the dogged detective on Burton's tail and T.P. McKenna a oily government minister. Joss Ackland gives a memorable twitchy performance as one of the gang members and there are plenty of others around like James Cossins, Tony Selby, and Colin Welland. Michael Tuchner's direction is very fine and the robbery, hospital, and climactic scenes in particular are all very well realised making fine use of their surroundings. VILLAIN is an under-appreciated movie and a must for fans of the genre.

Neil Welch Villain is a 1971 British crime movie, in which Richard Burton plays Vic Dakin, a Ronnie Kray-like character: homosexual, Oedipal, and vicious. The plot centres around a payroll robbery, and employs some entertaining supporting characters (the script was an early offering by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais).If I say that it is not bad of its kind, and then move on, that allows me to concentrate on Burton. A good (but very Welsh) actor, Burton's undeniable talent was damaged by his alcoholism and suffered the distraction of his high profile on-again, off-again relationship with Elizabeth Taylor.Which is why the total disappearance of Villain - never on telly, no DVD - is a great shame. There have been those who have observed that the cockernee accent Burton employs is sometimes less Bow Bells, more Merthyr Tydfil, but that misses the point. Vic Dakin is terrifying. Every time he is on screen, there is an overpowering sense of impending danger, not because he is angry, but because he is an inadequate vessel to contain the malice which seethes within him. Dakin looks like Burton, but he is his own monster.Villain is Burton at his best.