Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

bamlin52 This is when they made movies . Saw this movie 47 years ago. Yes it has dated a bit.But still enjoyable. Richard Burton has real Star quality. Thought provoking movie. Don't make them like this anymore.

Brucey D This was originally meant to be a 'B' movie but once Burton agreed to the title role it was given a higher budget and a higher billing. A tale of east end gang violence, with Burton's character Vic Dakin (loosely based on Ronnie Kray, being psychopathic, mother obsessed and homosexual) being the central figure. This was made at about the same time as Get Carter and one or two other films. Arguably without films of this sort we would never have had such things as 'The Sweeney' TV series, so we owe it a debt for that. The film is littered with fine actors and they have some interesting roles.Reviews of the time (and many since) dwell on the impression that Burton was miscast in this film. I think they are right. In his other roles, his precise diction, piercing blue-eyed gaze and steely patrician authority are used to good effect. In this role they are qualities that don't help, but perhaps hinder instead. Having said that, if you had never seen Burton in anything before, you would think he'd made a pretty good fist of it. On of the other things that seems a bit at odds with the nature of the film is the fairly flat direction and editing; this is well-made but not what you might call 'a stylishly made movie'; cutaways. close-ups, reaction shots and mood music are notably absent for much of the film. Whether this is a deliberate style or something else (like getting it edited in a rush) is open to speculation.Burton's accent remains something of a key problem for many; I suspect that he could -with effort- have made it more authentically cockney, but that this could have rendered it completely unintelligible to the (intended) US audience. As it is, he growls, grunts and mumbles his way through the dialogue, in a way that was unlikely to make anyone completely happy. Some have commented that this ended his run as a bankable star, and they might be right.A good film for sure, but could have been a really great one.

calvinnme This is a gritty, urban, British gangster film. The Long Good Friday can trace itself to this film. Much akin to the Michael Caine film, "Get Carter", which was released around the same time. It was a forerunner to the current crop of British gangster films, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Layer Cake. Burton is the Villain of the title. He's the 'gov'ner of a group of west end thugs. Burton transforms himself in this film. He is pure evil and malice and as compelling to watch as a snake.The action in the film is propelled by a factory payroll robbery - its planning and its aftermath. There is big money at stake, but this type of crime is a bit out of Vic Daykin's (Burton's) league. His gang is usually into protection/extortion rackets. Plus he is relying on the discretion of a mousy and resentful middle aged low ranking clerical worker at the factory who feels unappreciated by his wife and employer and doesn't have a problem helping Daykin with insider information.Burton is fantastic in this role. There is extreme tension and especially violence here, so it might not be for everybody. Daykin is paranoid of everybody, enjoys beating people up with his bare hands just for the fun of it, and seems to hate/mistrust women to the extreme with the exception of his elderly mother to whom he is very gentle.Only one gaping plot hole that I could find, and that was Daykin bringing the two outside mobsters in on the payroll job. If, he in fact "doesn't know anything about their boys", and he trusts his own guys as much as this guy is going to trust anybody, why would somebody as paranoid as he bring outsiders in on the biggest job of his life? I'd recommend it. Just remember if you are accustomed to lots of introspective angst and dialogue from Burton, you don't really get that here. It is not that kind of film.

moonspinner55 Adaptation of James Barlow's novel "The Burden of Proof" is a violent portrait of a gangland boss on London's East End that was allegedly based upon real-life crime czar Ronnie Kray. Razor-wielding Richard Burton has the lead, plotting a payroll robbery and blackmailing sexually indiscriminate Members of Parliament, but Burton's monotone Cockney accent, his grim, ashen face and stolid body language show the actor was either uncertain how to approach the part or was distinctly uncomfortable in the role. Director Michael Tuchner's flaccid pacing is another liability, as is the picture's general lack of wit, its poor sound recording (was the entire movie looped in post-production?) and its coyness about the Burton character's homosexuality. *1/2 from ****