OK. Decent enough film. 'Rock star tries his hand at acting' is so often a recipe for disaster, but Roger Daltrey is convincing here. And he has good support from the rest of the cast and the director. It is a low budget effort, and as such deserves credit for ending up as a very watchable piece of cinema.I have one major problem with it though. And that is the way most of the convicts are seen as basically decent salt-of-the-earth blokes, while all figures of authority are seen as the harsh, unsympathetic enemy. This is especially so in the first half of the film, when we are expected to sympathise automatically with the prisoners (most of whom are seen as extremely likable chirpy cockneys doing their best against the unfair adversity of being in the nick) against the guards (all very unsympathetically played as tyrants or halfwits).I'm not a strict moralist. And I don't believe that all people in prison are monsters. But if you watch the film you will see what I mean. There is a subtle balance required in presenting the human side of an armed robber, or even a petty thief, in a film. It can be done, and done well. But here all we get is a lazy 'it's us lovable villains versus them lot' mentality. And what is annoying is that this is 'beneath' the makers of the film. I think they were talented enough to be able to write and play more rounded characters and get a similar message across in a more authentic way.Anyway: that's my main problem with McVicar. Watch it and see if you agree. It is not a bad film - I've given it a 6, which seems to accord with the IMDb opinion. If anything, it is worth seeing for the curiosity value of Daltrey's decent performance.

A way back in the early 1980s word of mouth was spreading about a great and violent Brit flick ( In those days things were really grim for British film making unlike the late 1990s ) called MCVICAR the true story of armed robber John McVicar who was branded Britain's public enemy number one . I eventually got to see it on video in 1983 and was thoroughly disappointed by it Some people may say that if there's any failings it's down to a rock star being cast ( I'll come to that in a moment ) but for me it's the story that's at fault or more specifically the way the story is told . John McVicar faces many years in prison and plans his escape . So in effect the audience are not watching a biopic of Britain's most feared criminal , we're watching a film not entirely different from COLDITZ or ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ . In fact this was produced round about the same time as the Eastwood star vehicle and I can't help thinking this had much to do with it being produced . Tellingly MCVICAR has three producers and three executive producers and one can't help thinking too many cooks have spoiled this prison broth . That's the problem too much prison and not enough meat in the broth As for Roger Daltry's performance I know some people who think he absolutely ruined the movie but if memory serves me right ( I haven't seen this movie for several years ) while not exactly being an Oscar worthy performance I don't think he's as bad as some people claim . If I have a problem it's just that he comes across as over emphatic when he's nasty and can only really be described as poor when after having a tantrum in the hall picks up an orange and tries to act all cool . Is there anything more unconvincing than a man getting cool with an orange ? The one other thing I remember after first viewing is how this managed to get a X certificate ( It's an old version of the 18 cert ) from the British Board Of Classifiers . No one is killed , there's no explicit sex though there is a lot of bad language . I guess that's because it deals with a real life British criminal and no one wants to be seen glorifying crime . John McVicar is still alive today and makes frequent television appearances . He's certainly comes across as friendly old gentlemen who's very much of the old school type of criminal , that is he had strict codes of not hurting women and kids and not turning stool pigeon . In days like these where the British legal establishment seems more interested in the rights of paedophiles and terrorists more than the rights of their victims you really do find yourself forgiving the sins of an armed robber very quickly

This one ranks up there with "Get Carter" (1971) and "the Long Good Friday" (1980) as one of the greatest UK gangster flix of all time. Roger Daltry is excellent in the title role, kind of like an English Papillon, except he's not innocent! The soundtrack's average but it does contain one truly funky, synthesizer-heavy instrumental ("Escape (part one)") that helps the action flow along better. Plus Daltry wears quite possibly the coolest pair of on-screen Adidas since Bruce Lee's in "Game of Death" (1978) The only thing missing is Keith Moon as a maniac convict but you don't have to like the Who to dig this one. I mean as McVicar himself says, "Being a thief is a terrific life. But the trouble is they put you in jail for it." Nuff said.

An excellent movie which features Roger Daltry in the title role. Watch for the wonderful performance by Matthew Scurfield as "Streaky Jeffries'.