Early 70s British gangster film which fits very much into the genre of Get Carter, Villain and so on: a heavy set glowering star, misogynistic attitude towards women, sudden outbursts of violence, lots of homo-eroticism, not highly regarded critically on release but with a growing cult.
This one stars Oliver Reed in what Josh Olsen on Trailers from Hell described as one of the best on screen depictions of Donald Westlake's Parker, even though it was not based on a Westlake novel but someone else. However the screenwriter was Alex Jacobs, he of cult reputation and major influence on Walter Hill, who adapted the Westlake Parker film Point Blank.
Reed is in prison when wife Jill St John tells him she's pregnant to someone else. Reed tries to strangle her, then is sent to solitary; he breaks out with Ian McShane and Freddie Jones, gets a gun and sets about causing mayhem.
I wasn't super familiar with director Douglas Hickox but he does a good job - it's handled freshly, well at least differently. "Fresh" seems an odd word for a movie with so much grime - dingy prison cells, back alleys, etc. The action scenes are very well done - the prison break out, a chase amongst laundry hanging up, assassination attempts.
The story isn't great and too often feels repetitive without development - Reed tries to kill St John, is stopped, tries again, is stopped, does something bad to someone else, then someone else. He's also ridiculously indestructible at the end. I always feel these films get over praised in later years because they are neglected for so long - and because they're so unlike movies made today.
There's a good cast - this isn't the sort of movie Jill St John usually made but she's fine. Reed is in glowering good form and MacShane was effective back then. Edward Woodward pops up as a police officer and Frank Finlay is in it too.
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