The Reckoning

50 years ago anti-heroes sold movies, though thankfully not this one. Audiences were delighted that there was no longer a required convention for villains to get caught, and directors exploited the new freedom to excess. This is a prime example of that excess. Our hero is a schizophrenic, one moment delighting in the rich mans trappings - flash car, large property in fashionable Surrey, wife with all the social graces, conventional senior management position in solid London based corporation, the next behaving like a football hooligan when he rediscovers his roots. His treatment of females is so despicable I'm not surprised that distributors wouldn't touch this film.

At the end I wished that I was back in the fifties and that he was the one due the reckoning. No such luck.

The film has some merit for the acting and camerawork but as entertainment it just left a nasty taste in the mouth.

Move over, Michael Caine! Your "Get Carter" might very well be acclaimed around the world and listed as one of the most virulent British cult thrillers ever made, but this obscure and undiscovered (and, at one point, even considered lost) drama/thriller with very reminiscent themes predates your film with nearly two years AND it's a lot more ambitious in terms of character study and social criticism!

Okay, so now that's off my chest… Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Michael Caine or "Get Carter". Quite the contrary, in fact, but I just want to plea for "The Reckoning" to become more known and loved amongst cult fanatics worldwide! What this puppy needs is a proper and fancy DVD-release, as I'm 200% sure it will appeal to a lot of cult collectors. The film really has it all: an unbelievable intense tour-de-force performance by Nicol Williamson, a grim & gritty contemporary late 60's/early 70's atmosphere, few but exhilarating action sequences and numerous of mind-boggling dialogs. Michael Marler is a successful businessman in London, but in spite of all his power and money he is bitter (especially in his marriage with the beautiful Rosemary), merciless (especially in his job as a sales executive) and aggressive (especially behind the wheel of his car). He is frustrated because he grew up as an oppressed Irishman in the intolerant city of Liverpool and still doesn't manage to put this tough period behind him. Michael returns to Liverpool to see his dying father, but arrives too late. When he learns that his father's death was actually the result of a cowardly assault by young British thugs, his outrageous Irish temper comes to the surface again. But Michael's retro-metamorphosis also has severe consequences when he's back in London. "The Reckoning" is a giant spitfire of highlights, one sequence even more powerful and intense than the next. Unforgettable moments include a Liverpool wrestling match and a party full of vainglorious guests at the Marler residence. And just when you think "The Reckoning" can't get anymore cooler, just wait until you witness the very last sequence. Mr. Marler is a truly unique persona, to say the least. The more employees he intimidates and he more women he seduces, the more you will cheer for him. Williamson, most known for supportive roles and stage plays, gives one of the most underrated performances in cinema history.

A British drama; A story about a man who rises from a slum to the height of cut-throat big business in London. Returning home, and under the strain of his father's death he cracks and he begins to confront his demons. Based on Patrick Hall's novel, "The Harp that Once", a slice of British realism, the film is about a prodigal son returning home. It is an unflinching exploration of the British class system. Nicol Williamson gives a muscular performance showing self-pity and self-loathing and revenge, a man of few redeeming qualities. It's a film that avoids a debt to convention, but it says very little about the place of women in its character study. The fast editing creates a furious narrative pace but it is a touch too long.

Jack Gold made his name on British television and "The Reckoning", which he made in 1970, often has the feeling of television drama about it and this is both something of a compliment and a curse in that, while it often displays a certain intelligence in its handling of the relationships on view, it is also blighted by a shooting style more in keeping with the small screen than the large.

It is adapted by John McGrath from Patrick Hall's novel "The Harp that Once" and centres on working-class Liverpool lad Mick Marler, who has made it big in the world of London business and who has returned home for his father's funeral. It's a strange, somewhat schizophrenic film, part thriller and part character study, reasonably entertaining on one level and yet constantly misfiring. Nicol Williamson, who plays Marler, was at the time considered to be the finest stage actor of his generation but you would never guess it from his performance here. It's an hysterical, over-played piece of acting; a juicy slice of ham and he's virtually never off the screen. He's half sympathetic anti-hero and half hissable villain and he plays to the gods. It's left to Rachel Roberts in the much too small a part of an oversexed doctor's receptionist to walk off with the picture. She certainly looks like she's enjoying herself and is having a grand time upstaging the male lead. Other fine actors like Paul Rodgers and Ann Bell are wasted. A curio at best.

I am 57 years old. and have been a film fan all my life. I have seen many many films but until yesterday I had not seen this film.

I give no spoilers but the film involves family loyalty,personal ambition and an Irish Catholic background in Liverpool in the late 1960s.

It features great acting from actors and actresses that I had not seen much of before.

This film is out on blu ray and I intend to buy it as soon as I can.

If you like Kes and Get Carter and Villain you need to seek this one out.

It is currently on Talking Pictures channel in the UK