The script is hampered by conventions of the past without ever finding new methods to innovate, and it leaves the whole thing feeling languid in how it unfolds.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Jun 5, 2022

A predictable gangster family revenge film makes good.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 23, 2020

A motion picture of folk-art integrity and conviction of sensibility, done by a band of outsiders with something to prove - a debutant out to make a mark and a leading-man showing that, sure, he can crack a skull, but he can break a heart too.

| Jun 17, 2020

It has an intensity and energy that's explosive.

| Original Score: B | May 25, 2020

The latest story of an ex-con trying to go straight, this British drama takes a more character-driven approach yet doesn't find anything new to say about rehabilitation or recidivism.

| May 23, 2020

While Villain probably will not be considered a classic by any standards, it does provide 97 minutes of reasonably sold entertainment and at this point, who could ask for anything more?

| May 22, 2020

Nobody in this movie has a complex inner emotional life, so it's not surprising that the movie's ending is ridiculous.

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 22, 2020

I wouldn't call Villain a classic but director Philip Barantini hits most of the right notes.

| May 22, 2020

Brisk yet flavorful, gritty even when stylish, its occasional plot-logic leap smoothed over by a tone that deftly balances a resigned good humor with violent threat...

| May 22, 2020

Fairbrass' performance, hardened but vulnerable, is as effectively frill-less as the film itself.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 22, 2020

Almost defiantly old-school, like its protagonist-which is both a virtue and a weakness: it's solid, but also a mite stolid.

| Original Score: C+ | May 21, 2020

with Fairbrass and the solid supporting cast, the filmmaker pulls off a well-told story with a sympathetic lead.

| Original Score: B | May 21, 2020

Would probably be a better film if it wasn't so preoccupied diligently following the Carlito's Way playbook on how to make a gangster film.

| Original Score: 6/10 | May 21, 2020

Any movie containing the line "You need to grab that hacksaw and start on his legs" is already halfway to winning me over, and Philip Barantini's "Villain" does not disappoint.

| May 21, 2020

A compellingly emotional journey, boosted by a terrific turn from Fairbrass.

| Original Score: B | May 21, 2020

Standard genre material brought to life by a quietly compelling performance.

| May 20, 2020

a gritty English gangster film that, while covering no new ground, is steeped in local atmosphere and a sympathetic performance from Fairbrass...

| Original Score: C+ | May 20, 2020

When some excitement does arrive, the ensuing fisticuffs are about as easy to follow as the gruff accents.

| May 19, 2020

A muted Fairbrass does some good on-camera brooding, but the character and the film never feel like more than a paper-thin pose.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 3, 2020

With more depth of character than the usual London crime thriller, this gritty drama finds some surprising resonance in between the usual scenes of vicious threats and gruesome violence.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 2, 2020