Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Leofwine_draca I'm a big fan of prison dramas and for some reason the ones made around this era seem to be the best in terms of quality: they're usually the most down-to-earth and realistic, and often hard-hitting with it. MCVICAR is a film with a lot of baggage attending – not only is it a true story, it stars one of Britain's biggest music stars, Roger Daltrey, in the titular role. Could it live up to expectations? I think so. In essence, this is the British answer to Eastwood's ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ – a story of one man's journey to escape the mundane nature of prison life. Yes, there are the expected clichés and yes, the last act of the film is far less interesting and suspenseful than what's come before, but for the most part MCVICAR is a film that does the business. Director Tom Clegg, later a mainstay of television with the SHARPE movies, does an excellent job and I think this is the highlight of his resume. It's a taut, compelling and funny crime film.Great cast, too: Daltrey is decent as McVicar, playing up the hard-man persona with plenty of guts; Adam Faith is solid as the good-guy prisoner with plans of freedom. I also enjoyed Billy Murray as McVicar's buddy on the outside, the brief cameo from an incredibly haggard-looking Ian Hendry, and Steven Berkoff as another inherently sinister type. Okay, it doesn't really offer anything you haven't seen before, but that doesn't stop MCVICAR from being a highly entertaining movie.

John Seal Roger Daltrey is remarkable as arch-criminal John McVicar in this completely satisfying and riveting crime drama from TV director Tom Clegg (The Sweeney). Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his performance is his ability from the get go to make you completely forget that you're watching a bonafide rock star in the lead role. Daltrey portrays the character as a cross between a London wide boy and a sharp dressed mod--check out the hounds-tooth check jacket he wears after his escape--and though I don't know much about the real life McVicar, Roger's portrayal is thoroughly convincing. Even the presence of a handful of lung-shredding Who-style numbers layered somewhat awkwardly atop the action can't distract from Daltrey's remarkable on screen presence. The film also benefits from an utterly charming performance by Adam Faith, and though the story is fairly predictable, it's never less than interesting and enjoyable. One of the best British crime films--ever.

ldearden An absolute classic, with Daltrey portraying McVicar to a T. One of the best British gangster flicks, that will undoubtedly have taught Guy Ritchie a thing or two. Directed in such a way that the viewers sympathy lies unequivocally with the criminal, it relates a message without being pious. Very refreshing.

drj-12 A gripping portrayal of a seasoned villain's desire to escape from prison and start a new life. Roger Daltrey succeeds in making John McVicar appear to be a decent family man despite his hard-man antics. Adam Faith is excellent as Walter, McVicar's colleague in prison. Again, he is portrayed to be a cheeky Cockney geezer, immensely likeable. From the outset, the prison guards are given no sympathy, they are brutal,unfair and dim-witted. Daltrey's vocals are used extensively to colour the film and the viewer is left in no doubt as to the director's sympathies. John McVicar is now a respected writer and broadcaster.