Villain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Villain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 19, 2020

Michael Tuchner's "Villain" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; new video interview with actor Ian McShane; new program with author and cultural historian Matthew Sweet; and production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It makes one wonder to what extent Villain and Get Carter were supposed to compete with each other. These films came out in 1971 and both have big-time stars playing some quite vicious gangsters that wreak havoc almost as if to convince that only one of them is legit. Also, while equally aggressive, the films are actually directed in very different ways, so it seems like their creators were trying to make some sort of a statement as well.

Vic Dakin (Richard Burton) runs a small but very efficient crew whose reputation is unblemished -- if they commit to a job, it is a guaranteed success story. Dakin trusts his guys but very rarely the people they work with, so if he becomes concerned that there is a problem in the making, he deals with it personally and in the most painful of ways. It is an old strategy he likes because it sends the right message to anyone contemplating a foul play and greatly minimizes future repetitions of the same problem.

When a disgruntled factory worker approaches Dakin with an unusually big job offer -- robbing the truck that delivers the factory’s payroll -- he is forced to reach out to another crew and then together they draw a plan to get it done right. Even after they iron out all details, however, Dakin remains convinced that the job is ‘high-risk’ because they have to rely on the emotionally unstable worker’s ability to get his part right and then keep quiet.

The gangsters steal the money, but complications arise and in the ensuing drama Dakin also begins experiencing unexpected setbacks in other business dealings. One of them is a crucial relationship with a corrupt and perverted politician (Donald Sinden) whom Dakin has on a tight leash, which eventually sends him on a collision course with a couple of detectives that have been patiently waiting for the right opportunity to take him down.

The original material for Michael Tuchner’s Villain came from James Barlow’s 1968 novel The Burden of Proof, which was adapted by Al Lettieri. Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement then handed Tuchner a script and he went to work to bring Ronnie Kray’s antics to the big screen.

While the film provides a pretty accurate portrait of the real gangster, which is quite an accomplishment given the nature of his conflicted personality and the era in which it was made, it is really all about Burton. Indeed, his transformation before the camera is so engrossing that it completely overshadows the original character that inspired it, which believe it or not then makes the film entirely unpredictable. The exact chronology of its events -- from the planning of the robbery to the big confrontation with the police after it and everything else that happens in between -- is practically irrelevant because all of the excitement comes from individual situations where Burton finds different reasons to dominate the people around him or simply go berserk. In other words, while the narrative has a clear structure, the film basically functions as one unusually long individual power play.

It is pretty difficult to find any meaningful flaws in the performances of the supporting actors, but they are definitely not in Burton’s league. This obvious separation, however, is clearly intentional because it makes the nihilistic gangster that much more intimidating. He is truly the worst kind of loose cannon, occasionally appearing subdued and perhaps even normal but with an irreparably damaged psyche that makes him utterly unreachable.

Cinematographer Christopher Challis gives the film a good period appearance, but from time to time it feels like some of the visuals could have been edited better to support the intended pacing of the action. (This is one area where Get Carter excels. Its visuals and pacing are completely in sync, which is why it has such a memorable atmosphere).

Villain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Villain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The film was digitally restored for this release and it is very easy to tell because it looks exceptionally healthy. Frankly, my one and only minor complaint pertains to a few scenes that look a tad loose on my system, which tells me that some small encoding optimizations could have been considered. But this is a cosmetic adjustment. Detail, depth, clarity, and overall image stability are excellent. The grading job is also very solid, introducing nice and healthy primaries with plenty of beautiful ranges of equally healthy supporting nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The entire film looks spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Villain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release; English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There are a few scenes where the audio is a tad boxy but not muddy, so my guess is that this is how it was recorded. There is likely some digital trickery that can improve it a bit, but probably not to make a substantial difference without destabilizing something else. I thought it is a good idea to mention it because I don't believe for a second that this is an encoding anomaly of some sort. Clarity, stability, and dynamic balance are all fine.

Villain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Villain. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Interview with Ian McShane - in this new video interview, actor Ian McShane discusses the production of Villain and the era in which the film emerged, his contribution to it, and how the film business has evolved over the years. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Interview with Matthew Sweet - in this new video program, author and cultural historian Matthew Sweet discusses the conception of Villain and some of the key contrasts that emerge in the film. The evolution of the British crime film is also addressed. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Stills - a collection of behind the scenes stills.

Villain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is pretty remarkable that Villain emerged the same year Get Carter was released because these two films are legit genre classics for the exact same reason -- they have big-time stars playing some quite vicious gangsters with the exact same authority. I am almost willing to believe that there was some sort of a competition going on between them, and that it wasn't friendly. StudioCanal's release of Villain is sourced from a wonderful new restored master that makes a viewing experience with it quite the treat. If you decide to pick it up, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.