VILLAIN

UK, 1971, 97 minutes, Colour. Panavision.
Richard Burton, Ian Mc Shane, Joss Ackland, James Cossins.
Directed by Michael Tuchner.

Villain is quite an unpleasant film, yet concerns a psychopath typical enough of the spivs spawned by our big cities. The picture of the villain and his cronies, his pressurising and his plans, his confrontations with the police, are part of the world that we read about in the newspapers and then tend to forget exists until we pick up the next edition of the paper. The film is ugly but it presents a real ugliness. Richard Burton does a clever impersonation of an ageing, paunchy, Cockney psychopath we see torturing at the beginning of the film and who has not grown any more likeable by the end of the film as he shouts at the audience, "What are you all looking at?" And we have got to know him and his world rather well. The film doesn't explain the psychopath villain entirely but it gives us an extended look at him. The film is written by the team of Ian Le Frenais and Dick Clements and had a strong British supporting cast.

1. What impact did the title of the film have? Did it adequately sum up the film? Why?

2. Was Vic Dakin the hero of this film or not? What attitude did the film take towards Vic?

3. How did the initial threat and mutilation scene set a tone for the whole film? Was it too bloodthirsty? Did it make you take Vic seriously? Did Vic enjoy the mutilation?

4. Why did Vic's associates follow him round so eagerly and obediently?

5. How did Vic get to the top in his district? How did he take his being top?

6. Were you surprised at his regard for his mother? what did this reveal about him? One of the police remarked that it showed he couldn't be all bad. Was he all bad? Did he have any redeeming characteristics?

7. How did he keep power? How did he use people - e.g. Danny the informer? What was his attitude towards the police?

8. What kind of person was Wolf? Did his kind of life - procurer, pimp, his being bossed round by Vic and politicians, his being used sexually by Vic - disgust you? Did he have any redeeming characteristics?

9. What kind of man was Draycott? How did the morning sequence when he woke up jaded reveal his kind of life? Why was he scared of Vic - note the sequences of his feet in the urinal? What of his fear of exposure and his lies about Vic? How disgusting was he?

10. Were you impressed by the two policemen? As men? Were they sympathetic? Did they do their jobs well? Did they use dirty methods - what of their frightening people, using informers and organising set-ups? What else could they do?

11. was the robbery scene well done? Was it too violent or did it show what this kind of violence really looks and feels like?

12. Why did Vic take on the payroll robbery? Was he too old for this? How much risk was it? How did he persuade Frank Fletcher to cooperate? What of Edgar and his ulcer?

13. Why was Vic so arrogant when arrested? Was he clever in organising an alibi through Wolf and using Draycott?

14. Why was he so affected when his mother died? Why did he need Wolf?

15. Why did the clerk give the information for the robbery? What did he expect to get out of it? What did he get out of it? How did Vic humiliate him?

16. How did Vic overreach himself in falling into the trap with Edgar at the hospital?

17. Why couldn't Wolf follow him all the way?

18. Why did Vic shoot Edgar?

19. Why did Vic think himself indestructible and that he could pay men to keep him free? What was the impact of the ending with his looking at the witnesses? What was the significance of his final shout 'What are you all looking at?" How was this addressed to the audience? What were we looking at and why?

20. Was Vic any more attractive at the end than at the beginning? Was his character explained by the film? What can society do about psychopaths? How forgiving can society be? What rights has a criminal psychopath.

21. How accurate a picture of the gangsters of our cities did the film give? If this is accurate, how serious are our city and gangster problems and the problems of politicians and police?