The Reckoning

A brutal, violent story of a lower-class Irishman from Liverpool who has clawed his way to the top, then must revert to his slum background when called upon to avenge the death of his father. Williamson's performance is towering in its intensity. He's a heel, not even a charming one, a man obsessed with success, though he derives no pleasure from it when it is attained. He has a loveless marriage to the wealthy Bell, their relationship consisting of harsh lovemaking in between long silences. Williamson has not been back to Liverpool for many years when he learns that his father is dying, the result of having been beaten by a "Teddy Boy" in a pub. (The "Teddy Boys" ...