Villain *** (1971, Richard Burton, Ian McShane, Nigel Davenport, Joss Ackland, Cathleen Nesbitt, Donald Sinden, T P McKenna, Fiona Lewis, Tony Selby, Colin Welland) – Classic Movie Review 7065

Director Michael Tuchner’s powerful but distasteful 1971 movie Villain is an effective but unattractive and revoltingly violent British gangster thriller, with Richard Burton giving a strong account of himself in an extremely nasty and unsympathetic role as Vic Dakin, a sadistic, murderous, mother-obsessed London East End cockney gangland leader, whose idea of a good time is either taking his old mum to Southend and to buy her whelks or torturing villains and beating up his boyfriend.

The confident hard-nosed screenplay is, surprisingly, by reliable British comedy writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (The Likely Lads), working from a treatment by the American actor Al Lettieri, adapting James Barlow’s 1968 novel The Burden of Proof. Vic Dakin is very evidently modelled on real-life gangster Ronnie Kray.

With this fine cast, there is nothing wrong with the acting. There are also fine performances from Ian McShane as Burton’s boyfriend Wolfe Lissner, Cathleen Nesbitt as his elderly mother Mrs Dakin, Nigel Davenport as Bob Matthews, Joss Ackland as Edgar Lowis, Donald Sinden as Gerald Draycott, Fiona Lewis as Venetia, T P McKenna as Frank Fletcher, Colin Welland as Tom Binney and Tony Selby as Duncan.

But there is a lot of repulsive bad karma lurking around every nook and cranny here, and this is an extremely nasty movie, quite dodgy stuff, with detailed concentration on Dakin’s sadistic nature and some graphic violence, especially during the heist. The film alters the book’s plot considerably and adds more humour.

Also in the cast are Del Henney as Webb, John Hallam as Terry, James Cossins as Brown, Anthony Sagar as Danny, Clive Francis as Vivian, Elizabeth Knight as Patti, Shirley Cain as Mrs Matthews, Brook Williams as Kenneth, Michael Robbins as Barzun, Sheila White as Veronica and Cheryl Hall as Judy.

Villain is directed by Michael Tuchner, runs 98 minutes, is made by Anglo-EMI, Kastner/Ladd/Kanter and Atlantic United Productions, is released by Anglo-EMI, is written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais (screenplay) and Al Lettieri (adaptation), based on James Barlow’s novel The Burden of Proof, shot in Technicolor by Christopher Challis, produced by Elliott Kastner (executive producer), Alan Ladd Jr and Jay Kanter and scored by Jonathan Hodge, with Art Direction by Maurice Carter.

Burton was asked to do the film by Elliott Kastner, who had produced Where Eagles Dare with him. Burton recalled: ‘It is a racy, sadistic London piece about cops and robbers – the kind of ‘bang bang – calling all cars’ stuff that I’ve always wanted to do and never have. All ripe stuff.’

The misguided Burton did a lot of disservice to gay men with this film and the 1969 Staircase. What was he thinking?

The book’s adaptation is by the American actor Al Lettieri (February 24, 1928 – October 18, 1975), renowned for his tough-guy acting in films such as The Godfather and The Getaway, as well as for his connection with the New York Gambino Family.

It is interesting to compare it with The Krays (1990), Legend (2015), and The Rise of the Krays (2015) and The Fall of the Krays (2015).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7065

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