Good start, but then it gets ruined

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Two hardened cons try and break out of the can to get revenge on an unfaithful wife.I always say that when you have solid pros at work you almost don't need a script. Whoever wrote this (two people actually) had to have employed a pencil and the back of a cigarette packet, because it was unworthy of A4 paper and a typewriter. Talk about clichés and stock situations. For example, are gun sellers so stupid in real life?I digress. Reed has a set of shoulders and deep set set staring eyes that frighten people. Even at his peak Sean Connery looked like if he did, really, hit a villain they would hardly notice, but Oliver Reed is a different kettle of fish. Maybe he was acting mad-and-bad rather than being mad-and-bad, but can you tell the difference? Ian McShane has never acted in his life. Always plays himself. People like him in a wouldn't-have-in-my-house kind of way. Streetwise, but totally unschooled. Given he is pointing the gun in the poster I suppose he is supposed to be the star! No idea why he would go on someone else's crusade though.The problem with contemplation of this piece is that any thought makes the film seem worse than it is. It is - at the end of the day - watchable. Hiding from people in movies is like trying to walk on water in real life - you are bound to fail so why bother even trying? This movie wouldn't get made today unless it featured comedy actors going over the top and wisecracking over other people's grave.At least in the 1970's cold blooded murder wasn't seen as a joke.

Excellent old revenge movie from a time when Britain still made movies that didn't involve period costumes or floppy haired smiles!Ian "Lovejoy" McShane and the Late Oliver Reed bust out of prison, with the sole purpose of killing Reeds Wife (Jill St John) who wants a divorce. The film is relentless in its portrayal of Reed as a cold blooded man with a single deadly purpose, yet still shows him simmering with a pent up violent rage that cant wait to explode into violence at any time. I have heard many call this movie a poor-mans version of "Get Carter", but that tag does it a serious injustice. Gritty, Dark, Bleak and Brutal (for its time) something about this movie keeps me watching it 30+ years after its release. Stylish, Original, and highly recommended, especially if you are sick of "Feel Good" cliches.

This little known film has many aspects that make it stand out from other violent crime films of the 70s. There is stylish photography and music. Some well known stars in unusual roles (eg Jill St John lives next door to June Brown!) and a plot where characters have obscure motivations that even they cannot seem to fathom. This results in some very intense scenes. The ending is too melodramatic but there are many images that remain vivid and make this film worth watching more than once.

A dramatic story of revenge and doublecrossing, as a criminal breaks out of jail and set out to kill his cheating wife. Just an appetizer for that great Michael Caine-thriller "Get Carter"(1971) from which it seems inspired. Not surprisingly -like "Carter"- in the end no one seem to win, reminding us on that old saying about digging your own grave. But it does have it's moments; like the escape scene, the biker cops and the laundry, and the car wrecking scene. A fine cast as well, including Edward Woodward as the cop out to protect St.John from Reed's wrath.