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Villain

Play trailer Poster for Villain R,  1971,  1h 38m,  Crime/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 67% 12 Reviews Tomatometer 49% 100+ Ratings Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A razor-wielding London thug (Richard Burton) robs a payroll with his gang; his pimp boyfriend (Ian McShane) has the alibi.

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Villain

Critics Reviews

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David Robinson Financial Times Sep 2, 2020
Burton's performance [is] cold-eyed and ugly, rejecting sympathy or glamour, admirably conveying the double image of the Capone-style gangster he aspires to be and the common, average-stupid, taciturn braggart he truly is. Go to Full Review
Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) Jun 2, 2020
[Villain works] as [an illustration] of the shaming condition of a native industry which, perpetually ailing, has never seemed, quite so close to extinction -- at least as a serious creative force. Go to Full Review
Time Out Staff Time Out Mar 26, 2020
A ludicrous exposé of the lower depths of London crime, it tarts up the hoariest old gangster clichés with a bit of homosexuality and a lot of thuggery, and manages to be both brutish and maudlin. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Feb 18, 2021
4/5
…as a film, Villain wasn’t loved at the time, but now seems a bridge between traditional British policiers and a more modern take on criminality …the result has a vitality of it’s own, largely due to a script that is slippery enough to avoid clichés… Go to Full Review
Adrian Turner Radio Times Mar 26, 2020
3/5
Wavering uneasily between horror, black comedy and sentimentality, it's held together by Burton's performance, a brave attempt to escape the straitjacket of being the world's highest-paid movie star. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Theodore S Mar 14, 2017 Could've been better, but it was entertaining.
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Villain

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Tuchner

Director

Richard Burton

Vic Dakin

Ian McShane

Wolfe Lissner

Nigel Davenport

Bob Matthews

Donald Sinden

Gerald Draycott

Fiona Lewis

Venetia

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Villain

Villain (1971) Villain (1971) Villain (1971) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A razor-wielding London thug (Richard Burton) robs a payroll with his gang; his pimp boyfriend (Ian McShane) has the alibi.
Director
Michael Tuchner
Producer
Alan Ladd Jr., Jay Kanter
Production Co
Anglo-EMI
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 26, 1971, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 25, 2017
Runtime
1h 38m
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