Villain (1971)

In 1970s London, Scotland Yard orchestrates the downfall of mob boss Vic Dakin after he crosses the line by blackmailing Members of Parliament.

Director:

Michael Tuchner

Writers:

Dick Clement (screenplay), Ian La Frenais (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Burton, Ian McShane, Nigel Davenport

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Burton	...	Vic Dakin
Ian McShane	...	Wolfe Lissner
Nigel Davenport	...	Bob Matthews
Donald Sinden	...	Gerald Draycott
Fiona Lewis	...	Venetia
T.P. McKenna	...	Frank Fletcher
Joss Ackland	...	Edgar Lowis
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Mrs. Dakin
Elizabeth Knight	...	Patti
Colin Welland	...	Tom Binney
Tony Selby	...	Duncan
John Hallam	...	Terry
Del Henney	...	Webb
Ben Howard	...	Henry
James Cossins	...	Brown

Storyline

Murderous, sadistic London gang leader Vic Dakin, a mother-obsessed homosexual modeled on real-life gangster Ronnie Kray, is worried about potential stool pigeons that may bring down his criminal empire. The brutal Vic cuts the throat of one bloke who has been a little too loose-lipped, afraid that his gossiping may turn into a grand operatic performance for the coppers. Vic, who enjoys playing at rough trade with his sidekick Wolfe, plans a payroll robbery and directs the blackmailing of Members of Parliament with a taste for unorthodox sex. Scotland Yard Police Inspector Matthews, playing Javert to Vic's Jean Valjean, is moving in on him and the gang. Gang-member Edgar is hospitalized for an ulcer, and Inspector Matthews might be able to make him sing. Will Edgar spill the beans to the coppers before Vic can silence him?

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Plot Keywords:

torturer | scotland yard | gangster | homosexuality | corrupt minister | 

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Taglines:

Meet Vic Dakin. Then wish you hadn't.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1971 (UK)

Also Known As:

Burden of Proof

Filming Locations:

Arundel Gardens, Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anglo-EMI, Kastner/Ladd/Kanter, Atlantic United Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (as Technicolor®)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Elliott Kastner and Richard Burton originally planned to re-team with their Where Eagles Dare (1968) director, Brian G Hutton.

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Goofs

The flowers on the hearse move from being on top of the car to the ground, as too the position of the two policemen is not the same.

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Quotes

Venetia: Who's she?
Wolfe Lissner: Sssh. It's his gaffe. Only a marquis, isn't he. Influencing friends and making people.

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Connections

Featured in A Bit of Scarlet (1997)

User Reviews

A bit too talky for its own good

The Leonard Maltin movie guide described this movie as being "nasty" and "stomach-churning". Actually, by today's standards, the level of violence on display here you could probably easily get away with on prime time network television. Anyway, the tame by today's standards violence wasn't an issue with me. The main problem is with the script. The movie starts off fairly well, but quickly becomes very slow and talky, and the dialogue isn't particularly colorful or interesting to grab the viewer. (This problem can be found with a lot of other British movies this age or older.) As for Richard Burton, while his performance here is not one of his worst, it's also not one of his better ones. One problem for him might have been the fact that his character's appearances are somewhat less in number than you might think. This is not an awful movie, but for the most part it's kind of bland and forgettable. If you want to see an early 1970s British crime drama, I would suggest you watch the 1971 Michael Caine movie "Get Carter" instead.