Ok so I'm not a native speaker of Cockney but neither is Richard Burton and it hampers his performance in this gritty, British made gangster thriller from 1971. Burton had a beautiful speaking voice and it keeps breaking through as he struggles to sound convincing as East End gangland boss Vic Dakin.
Loosely modelled on real-life London gangster Ronnie Kray, Dakin is a psychotic sadist and closet homosexual whose idea of foreplay is punching lover Ian McShane in the gut. Dakin's also devoted to his mostly bedridden old mum (Cathleen Nesbitt) dutifully bringing her a cup of tea and the Sunday paper after returning from slicing up an informer with a cut-throat razor.
While it's interesting to watch Burton trying something different, his superstar persona overwhelms what is essentially a small scale, low budget project. By 1971 there was so much extravagant baggage attached to him that it can't be contained by a character like Dakin. Burton tries his best but he's just too big for the part.It's to the credit of the supporting cast that Burton's miscasting doesn't sink the film. McShane is cool and understated as the quintessential ducker and diver, doing whatever it takes to survive, while Nigel Davenport and a very young Colin Welland succeed in avoiding the cliches as the coppers focused on bringing Dakin down.
VILLAIN is a movie that's hard to find but it's worth seeking it out because it's a fascinating example of how a really big film star can become boxed in by his own legend.
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